Two siblings jailed for bribing anti-drug officer


Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 

Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday jailed a woman and her younger brother, who was arrested for drug trafficking, over the offering of $100,000 in bribes to secure his release from detention. 

Presiding Judge Khun Sona named the two as Pol Rany, 49, a former health officer, and Pol Chetra, 36, a former soldier. 

“The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to sentence the accused  Pol Chetra to six years and the accused Pol Rany to five years in prison,” Judge Sona read the verdict.

 “The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to confiscate the evidence $100,000, that the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) had seized from the two accused, to put in the state’s budget,” he said.  “The two accused have the right to appeal the court’s verdict to the court of appeal within the period of a month if they do not accept it.” 

Judge Sona said that Rany was charged with “Proffering of Bribes” while Chetra was charged with “Initiating in Proffering of Bribes” under the Articles 28 and 605 of the Criminal Code and Article 32 of the Law on Anti-Corruption.

He added that Chetra was arrested on April 28 this year by the anti-drug police while Rany was arrested on May1 by the ACU. 

Chetra said that the court’s verdict was unjust because a day after his arrest he was told by an anti-drug police officer to pay him $100,000 in exchange for his release from police detention in the Ministry of Interior. 

 Chetra said that he had been arrested along with five friends for drug trafficking on April 28 in Takeo province’s Ang Tasom district. 

Chetra said that he borrowed the police officer’s phone, called Rany and told her to get the $100,000.

“I do not agree with the court’s judgment because it is unjust. I will appeal it and ask an upper court to review my case and drop the charge,” he said.

During her hearing last week, Rany said that she borrowed the $100,000 by putting up her land title as collateral and gave the money to the anti-drug police officer.

 


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