Former anti-drug czar’s appeal begins
Disgraced anti-drug czar Moek Dara’s appeal against his life sentence for convictions in 25 separate cases of bribery and masterminding a criminal enterprise began yesterday morning in Phnom Penh. Co-accused, former Ministry of Interior anti-drug police department chief Chea Leng also appeared at the Court of Appeal; however, Morn Doeun, a former low-level police official at the National Authority for Combating Drugs, remains a fugitive. … Yesterday’s four-hour appeal hearing concentrated on one of the most high-profile of the 25 cases against Dara, concerning a pilfered drug-raid cache from the Naga casino boat in 2007. The court of first instance found Leng guilty of doctoring his police report and keeping four of the five-plus kilograms of heroin confiscated during the raid, as well as a Honda sedan, US$9,000 cash and an unspecified amount of jewellery. Dara was convicted for signing off on the fraud. …
