Businesswoman Truong My Lan, founder of real estate developer Vạn Thịnh Phát Group, received the judgement for her role in looting Saigon Commercial Bank of $44 billion (around £35bn) over 11 years.

The trial, held in the colonial-era courthouse of Ho Chi Minh City, marked a rare instance of a woman being sentenced to death for a white-collar crime in Vietnam, BBC reports.

The trial saw a significant volume of evidence, comprising 104 boxes weighing a total of six tonnes, laid out for scrutiny. The case involved some 2,700 individuals, who were summoned to testify, and a legal team of 10 state prosecutors and approximately 200 lawyers.

The verdict mandates Ms My Lan to repay $27bn (around £22bn).

Alongside Ms My Lan, 85 other defendants faced were prosecuted and found guilty. While four received life imprisonment, the remaining defendants received various prison terms, with Truong My Lan’s husband and niece also being handed jail sentences.