Judiciary and courts

Radio broadcaster and former Beehive Party President Mam Sonando was served a summons last week by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to appear as a witness in relation to a “treason” case filed against former opposition President Kem Sokha. ...

The Appeal Court yesterday upheld a decision by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court earlier this month to deny bail for two former Radio Free Asia reporters accused of “espionage”, with the pair’s lawyer calling the decision unfair. ...

The United Nations will provide a $8 million subvention to support the 2018 operations of the Khmer Rouge tribunal, which is tasked with the prosecution of the country’s former Khmer Rouge commanders.   ...

Jailed opposition leader Kem Sokha’s lawyers yesterday boycotted the questioning of their client on “treason” charges at Trapaing Phlong Prison to protest the judge’s decision not to question him at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.​ ...

After ignoring summonses for two months, a prominent timber tycoon accused of illegally trading luxury-grade wood in Mondulkiri province appeared at court to deny his involvement in the case.​ Sam Ol was summonsed on October 12 to testify after the authorities’ anti-logging task force found ...

Jailed former opposition leader Kem Sokha was questioned by a judge in prison yesterday, according to his lawyers, who classified the questioning as “aggressive” and “inappropriate”. ...

Among the 50 prisoners who were pardoned or received sentence reductions for the Water Festival this year, several were convicted of serious crimes, such as rape, murder and human trafficking, according to a review of the roster included in the most recent Royal Book. ...

A group of local journalists have written an open letter calling for the release of former Radio Free Asia journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, who were arrested earlier this month. ...

Minister of Interior Sar Kheng yesterday issued an order demanding that all provincial governors create a “standby working group” to monitor the political situation in anticipation of unrest following the opposition party’s potential dissolution later this week. ...

After serving more than 800 days of a seven-year prison sentence on charges of “incitement” and “forgery”, former opposition Senator Hong Sok Hour was released last night, following an unexpected royal pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni. ...

A former senior army official and head of the late Chea Sim’s bodyguard unit yesterday appealed to the Supreme Court to once again reduce his jail time for a raft of crimes including embezzlement, weapons possession, breach of trust and forgery. ...

Disgraced former Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Heng Pov yesterday called for a speedy appeal trial before the Supreme Court in two of his cases – which relate to the possession of fake currency and to the illegal detention of a suspect – despite lamenting ...

Cambodia Youth Party leader Pich Sros filed a lawsuit on Friday against activist monk But Buntenh and Pa Nguon Teang, founder of the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media, accusing the pair of embezzling money from the late Kem Ley’s funeral fund. ...

The Supreme Court yesterday rejected a bail application for Poipet Commune Chief Chao Veasna, who has been in pretrial detention since February for his alleged role in a protest that turned violent outside the border town’s customs office in 2015. ...

Political commentator Kim Sok was sentenced to 18 months in prison this afternoon on charges of incitement and defamation for appearing to suggest that the ruling party was behind the killing of popular analyst Kem Ley. ...

A court investigation into illegal timber trafficking has targeted 11 provincial officials—including Mondolkiri’s heads of the military and military police, and potentially a court prosecutor—prompting the case’s transfer to Phnom Penh at the request of the justice minister, officials said on Tuesday. ...

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a lower court’s decision to deny jailed political analyst Kim Sok’s request for bail, also rejecting his request to summons Prime Minister Hun Sen, the plaintiff in the two defamation and incitement cases that landed the analyst in detention. ...

An army general in Preah Sihanouk province was arrested by Military Police officials on Tuesday after the provincial court ordered he be taken into custody following allegations of land grabbing. ...

Environmental activist Ven Vorn has been given a second chance to have an illegal logging conviction overturned after the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered his case sent back to the Appeal Court for review. ...

Two Ministry of Mines officials were convicted on corruption charges yesterday in a Phnom Penh court after confessing to selling state land, but nonetheless walked free after a judge reduced their sentences. ...

The Appeal Court yesterday upheld prison sentences for former opposition leader Sam Rainsy and two of his assistants, along with former Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) Senator Hong Sok Hour, on charges stemming from the latter’s comments on the contentious Vietnam border issue. ...

In a surprise move, four human rights workers and an election official, collectively known as the “Adhoc 5”, were released from pretrial detention yesterday evening, 427 days after they were taken into custody on bribery charges relating to an opposition sex scandal. ...

The 13-month investigation into five current and former human rights workers known as the ‘Adhoc 5’ has ended, a court spokesman said on Wednesday, paving the way for a trial in a case widely condemned as being unjust and politically motivated. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen used a public speech yesterday to mercilessly mock former opposition leader Sam Rainsy, taunting him to make good on a promise to return to Cambodia, sarcastically referring to him as a “hero” and even singing a few bars of a classic ...