Stealing property worth over 2 million VND, what sentence will the thief face?

Reply:Article 173 of the 2015 Penal Code stipulates that theft is the act of secretly and illegally appropriating another person's property. Accordingly, anyone who commits the act of stealing property worth 2 million VND or more, or less than 2 million VND but falling into one of the specific cases prescribed by law, shall be prosecuted for the crime of "Theft of property".

In particular, the lowest prison sentence for theft of property worth 2 million VND or more is from 6 months to 3 years, the highest penalty is from 12 to 20 years in prison.

Below are 4 specific penalty frames for the crime of "Theft of property" over 2 million VND:

1. A person who steals another person's property worth from VND 2,000,000 to under VND 50,000,000 or under VND 2,000,000 but falls into one of the following cases, shall be subject to non-custodial reform for up to 3 years or imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years:

a) Having been administratively sanctioned for property appropriation but still committing the violation;

b) Having been convicted of this crime or one of the crimes specified in Articles 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 174, 175 and 290 of this Code, not yet had the criminal record cleared, and still committing the violation;

c) Adversely affecting social security, order and safety;

d) Property is the main means of livelihood of the victim and their family; property is a souvenir, relic, or worship object of special spiritual value to the victim.

2. Committing a crime in one of the following cases shall be punishable by imprisonment from 2 to 7 years:

a) Organized;

b) Professional in nature;

c) Appropriation of property worth from VND 50,000,000 to under VND 200,000,000;

d) Using cunning and dangerous tricks;

d) Assault to escape;

e) Theft of property worth from VND 2,000,000 to under VND 50,000,000 but falling into one of the cases specified in Points a, b, c and d, Clause 1 of this Article;

g) Dangerous recidivism.

3. Committing a crime in one of the following cases shall be punishable by imprisonment from 7 to 15 years:

a) Appropriation of property worth from VND 200,000,000 to under VND 500,000,000;

b) Theft of property worth from VND 50,000,000 to under VND 200,000,000 but falling into one of the cases specified in Points a, b, c and d, Clause 1 of this Article;

c) Taking advantage of natural disasters and epidemics.

4. Committing a crime in one of the following cases shall be punishable by imprisonment from 12 to 20 years:

a) Appropriation of property worth VND 500,000,000 or more;

b) Theft of property worth from VND 200,000,000 to under VND 500,000,000 but falling into one of the cases specified in Points a, b, c and d, Clause 1 of this Article;

c) Taking advantage of war and emergency situations.

In addition to the main penalty mentioned above, a person who commits the crime of stealing property worth over 2 million VND may also be fined from 5 to 50 million VND.

The crime of property theft as stipulated in Article 173 of the 2015 Penal Code is an especially serious crime, therefore, all penalties for the crime of "Property theft" can be applied to people aged 16 and over.