Casino-Funded Election Committee Office Breaks Ground
The National Election Committee (NEC) broke ground yesterday on a $12-million tower being funded by the casino company NagaCorp that is set to take more than two years to complete and has drawn concern from election groups. At a ceremony that took place on National Assembly Street in Daun Penh district, NEC Chairman Im Suosdey and Vice Chaiman Sin Chum Bo poured lotus petals and sand into an open pit in a symbolic move that means work can now begin on the 1-hectare site. NagaCorp, which owns Naga-World, Phnom Penh’s only licensed casino, said it would pay for the NEC’s 16-story office block in return for the rights to expand its casino operation on adjacent land owned by the NEC. …
