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Vietnamese soft drinks tycoon gets 8-year jail term

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam: Vietnam's top soft drinks tycoon was sentenced to eight years in prison on Thursday in a $40-million fraud case, the latest high-profile business figure snared in the Southeast Asian country's sweeping crackdown on corruption.

The communist nation's wide-ranging campaign to wipe out endemic graft has seen more than 4,400 people charged with criminal offenses, including officials and senior business figures.

CONVICTED FOR CORRUPTION Soft drink tycoon Tran Qui Thanh (center), on trial for a $40-million fraud case, looks on at a court in Ho Chi Minh City, southern Vietnam on Thursday, April 25, 2024. AFP PHOTO