Vietnam court jails soft drinks tycoon in US$40 million scam case

Vietnamese soft drink boss Tran Qui Thanh (centre) looks on at a court in Ho Chi Minh City on April 25, 2024. Vietnamese soft drinks tycoon Tran Qui Thanh appeared in court on April 25 in a US$40 million fraud case -- the latest high-profile business figure snared in the country's wide-ranging crackdown on corruption. - AFP

HO CHIH MINH CITY (AFP): Vietnam's top soft drinks tycoon was jailed for eight years on Thursday in a US$40 million fraud case -- the latest high-profile business figure snared in the 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 offences, including officials and senior business figures.