Police Investigating Third Suspect in Mondolkiri Mining Fraud

Police said Thursday they are investigating the possibility of a third suspect who has been implicated in a fraud and forgery case over a mining deal, for which a Cambodian businessman and a Chinese associate are already awaiting trial. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday charged Al Romny, 41, the chairman of ACICA Group, and Chinese national Chin Mongxin, 45, with fraud and using forged documents after an unknown complainant claimed they had lost $810,000 to the pair in a deal to purchase a mining license in Mondolkiri province. ... But in a message from ACICA Group’s email account, an administrator who did not give their name said that Mr. Romny had told the company that a middleman was responsible for the fraud and that he had informed the police about the man. ... ACICA said Wednesday that Mr. Romny was acting on his own in the mining deal. The group’s website claims a number of other business ventures in Cambodia, including a water and wastewater privatization project and a massive plantation in Koh Kong province. ...

Simon Lewis and Eang Mengleng
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/police-investigating-third-suspect-in-mondolkiri-mining-fraud-41441/