There are 155 defendants on trial

The jury in Vietnam's biggest-ever corruption trial has found crime boss Truong Van Cam guilty, in a case that has also involved high-ranking officials.

The defendant, better known as Nam Cam, was found guilty of seven crimes - including murder and bribery - and now faces sentencing on Thursday.

He has been on trial since February, accused of masterminding an extensive criminal network which flourished under official protection.

Senior Communist Party officials, as well as police and prosecutors, have been among 154 other defendants.

Reading out the findings to a packed courtroom, a judge said Nam Cam had killed his rival, a woman who reportedly released a box of rats in one of his restaurants.

The judge said Nam Cam's gang threatened social stability and people's trust in government, as the criminals used bribes and weapons to protect their activities - which centred on gambling, prostitution, and protection rackets.

Nam Cam could face the death penalty

The investigation into the ring has brought down two members of the Communist Party Central Committee as well as police, prosecutors and a journalist.

The prosecution has recommended six death penalties, including one for Nam Cam, and seven life sentences.

The sentencing of Nam Cam and other defendants is expected on Thursday.

"It is certain that Nam Cam will get two death sentences now", his lawyer said after the verdict was announced.

"We will go until the end to appeal," the lawyer added.

The BBC's Clare Arthurs in Ho Chi Minh City says the family believes that little of the trial or the official coverage was fair.

A woman whose brother and father expect life sentences for gambling said the family will have to sell their house in order to live.

Most of the defendants are expected to be found guilty - including a former head of state radio and a former deputy police minister.

Court officials say that one defendant could be set free: a drugs case where prosecutors acknowledged a lack of evidence.