Ex-commander on run arrested in defamation suit filed by Prime Minister Hun SEN’s sister


Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 

 A former provincial regiment military commander, who swindled money from poor families in the name of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s younger sister Hun Sinath, was arrested from his house yesterday. 

The 45-year-old suspect went into a hiding and has evaded his arrest for over a year. 

In her lawsuit filed at the Koh Kong Provincial Court in June last year, Sinath demanded $200,000 in compensation from suspect Mao Ouch for collecting money in her name to settle some land disputes in Botum Sakor district of Koh Kong province. 

Kambol district police deputy Chief Lieutenant Colonel Heng Vireak said yesterday that the former 303th Regiment military commander based in Koh Kong province’s Mondul Seima district, cooperated with the police in his arrest. 

“Mao Ouch was arrested at around 10 am in front of his rental house in Kambol district in accordance with Koh Kong Provincial Court’s arrest warrant after he had been on the run for more than a year,” Lt. Col. Vireak told Khmer Times yesterday. 

“After the arrest, the police handed him over to Koh Kong Provincial Police to produce before the provincial court,” he said. 

Koh Kong Provincial Court’s Deputy Prosecutor Vai Phirum confirmed yesterday that the accused will be sent to the Koh Kong Provincial Court for questioning today. 

“I will meet him today and will read his conviction in absentia and his charges which were issued by the Koh Kong provincial court’s judge, who had ordered his arrest,” Phirum said. 

“Mao Ouch was charged by the Koh Kong Provincial Court’s prosecutor with two counts of ‘activities causing misapprehension with the discharge of public function and fraud’,” he added.

The suspect identified as Mao Ouch, 45, a former 303th Regiment military commander based in Koh Kong province’s Mondul Seima district, collected money from about 300 poor families to give to Hun Sinath and get a legal status for their land in Botum Sakor district in Koh Kong province. 

He noted that besides the Prime Minister’s sister, Botum Sakor authorities are also suing the accused for misusing their names to deal with land disputes in the district. 

According to the court’s document obtained by the Khmer Times yesterday, Mao Ouch was charged with “‘activities causing misapprehension with the discharge of public function and fraud” under Articles 610, 377 and 378 of the Criminal Code.



 


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