Law and judiciary

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced a Vietnamese  businesswoman, who stormed a forestry office to steal her seized timber, to two years imprisonment and a fine of $12,500. ...

National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) President Ke Kim Yan announced his intention to extend Cambodia’s anti-drug campaign yesterday, nearly six months and more than 8,000 arrests since the controversial crackdown began. ...

Interior Minister Sar Kheng has vowed an investigation into an alleged arms trafficking operation linked to a Cambodian official, saying information from suspects indicated the guns were smuggled via a “corridor” in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province into Thailand and did not pass through the international ...

Twenty-four inmates in Kampong Speu’s provincial prison – where five prisoners escaped earlier this week – are reportedly experiencing a combination of respiratory difficulties, coughing, skin rashes and swollen legs.   ...

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. ...

The top military and police officials in Mondolkiri province have opened investigations into some of their soldiers and officers after a news story claimed they were involved in timber trafficking into Vietnam. ...

During an otherwise routine National Assembly session to make amendments to the Senate Election Law, opposition lawmaker Son Chhay yesterday took the opportunity to criticise the assembly for not adhering to immunity laws after the arrests and convictions of lawmakers Um Sam An and Senator ...

The government is preparing legislation aimed at ensuring tighter control over the nation’s pawnshops to ensure professionalism in a sector that has grown rapidly and lacks a supervisory framework. ...

A group representing some of the largest apparel brands in the U.S., including Gap and Levi Strauss, are urging Prime Minister Hun Sen to reconsider controversial provisions in a pair of draft laws on wages and labor disputes. ...

Cambodian immigration officer Leang Piseth, who is detained in Thailand on suspicion of smuggling weapons, is a relative by marriage of Defence Minister Tea Banh, as well as of recently reassigned Koh Kong Provincial Governor Bun Leut and retired high-ranking Police General Tham Sann, The ...

Anti-economic Crime Police officials on Friday arrested a stock manager working for the Phuong Heng Company in Phnom Penh for his alleged involvement in the storage of illegal goods. ...

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 ...

In the first and only day of her trial yesterday, prominent alleged timber trader Heng Samnieng claimed that Military Police officers had tried to sell off pieces of timber confiscated by authorities in Stung Treng, where she was arrested in October while allegedly attempting to ...

The Ministry of Commerce and other relevant ministries will meet later this month to review progress on the country’s first consumer protection law and formulate a plan to complete the draft legislation, a ministry official said yesterday. ...

The Justice Ministry has launched a 100-day campaign to improve the court system. Ministry spokesman Chin Malin said while the system was widely regarded by outsiders as fair and without corruption, it was now time for a self-assessment to confirm its effectiveness. ...

The amount of money political parties spent on the campaign trail ahead of yesterday’s nationwide commune elections varied wildly, with observers and party members yesterday blaming the lack of a campaign finance law in Cambodia for what they characterised as the uneven playing field among ...

Khem Veasna, founder and president of the League for Democracy Party, has been issued a formal warning by the National Election Committee (NEC) today for allegedly violating election rules by continuing to campaign on Facebook despite the ban. ...

Amnesty International today accused the ruling CPP of using its grip on the judiciary to systematically harass and intimidate civil society and urged the government to drop cases against opposition activists and human rights defenders. ...

Amnesty International today accused the ruling CPP of using its grip on the judiciary to systematically harass and intimidate civil society and urged the government to drop cases against opposition activists and human rights defenders. ...

Provincial prison chief Tin Sovanny said five prisoners had sawed off the bars of their prison cell at 3am on Saturday, using a blade they had kept hidden in their cells. One prisoner was found hiding in the forest near the prison, but the remaining ...

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has yet to charge two suspects arrested for their involvement in an illegal organ trafficking syndicate. Phnom Penh anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection bureau chief Keo Thea said the court will continue to question the pair today. ...

U.S. oil giant Chevron has clashed with the former opposition leader of Cambodia over a request to release footage of the murder of prominent political analyst Kem Ley at one of its gas stations in Phnom Penh last year, court documents reveal.Chevron is seeking to ...

The Interior Ministry and the National Election Committee have banned all forms of law enforcement from using their power to intimidate or threaten voters during the commune election campaign period.In a joint announcement, the NEC and the ministry said that it was crucial for the ...

Petrol giant Chevron claims former Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy and his lawyers have attempted to “besmirch” the company with a “burdensome” request seeking information about the murder of Kem Ley, according to a recent California court document. ...