Bid to arrest nine ex-CNHP steering committee members

 


Buth Reaksmey Kongkea  

The police are seeking to arrest nine members of the steering committee of the Cambodia National Heart Party (CNHP) for falsifying fingerprints in order to form the CNHP in 2021.

Internal Security Office Deputy Chief Lieutenant Colonel Kim Piseth in the Ministry of Interior told Khmer Times yesterday that the search for their arrest was made in accordance with the court warrants issued by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s Judge Ms. Chum Sangvar. 

“So far, four people had been arrested in accordance with the court’s warrant and have been sent to prison to serve the term of their sentence,” Lt. Col. Piseth said.

“Police now are seeking to arrest the other accused who had been at large,” he said.  

Lt. Col. Piseth named Khoeun Virath, Touch Choeng and Nou Sitheary, who were arrested on Friday last week and Siem Pluk the former founder and the president of CNHP was arrested in April last year.

The court sentenced Pluk and 12 colleagues, in absentia, to imprisonment from two to two years and six months in prison each and fined 5 million Riels (about $1,250) each for falsifying fingerprints in 2021.

Judge Sangvar said, Pluk, who was the mastermind, was charged on two counts of “forgery of public document and the use of forged public document” under Articles 626, 627 and 628 of the Criminal Code while other 12 accused were charged with “accomplice of forgery of public document and the use of forged public document.” 

In April 2021, the accused collected more than 4,000 fingerprints from their supporters to form a political party named “Cambodia National Heart Party” in order to participate in the general elections, she said.

After collecting more 4,000 fingerprints, they registered their application, enclosing the fingerprints, to the Minister of Interior for approval and was granted in June 2021, she stated.    

The ministry deleted the CNHP from the political party list in March last year, after they had found that the fingerprints provided were fraudulent, she said.

Ket Khy, Nou Sotheary’ lawyer, said yesterday that the judgment was unjust because she did not commit anything as accused. 

He will meet with his client this Tuesday to prepare her appeal to the higher court, he said.

“As a lawyer, I think that the judgment is an injustice and my client does not agree with it,” Thy said.

Pluk and his lawyer Chung Choungy could not be reached for comment yesterday. 

However, during his hearing last month, Pluk denied the allegations, saying that he did not commit anything as accused.

The fingerprints were collected by his party’s members and he did not forge any fingerprint, Pluk said. 

However, Pluk recognised that at the time, he had signed the CNHP’s application as the party founder and president and submitted it to the Minister of Interior Samdech Sar Kheng for his party’s registration.
















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