Lan broker trio appeal convictions


Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 

The Phnom Penh Appeal Court yesterday heard the appeal of three men convicted of forging documents and cheating a Taiwanese woman of about $700,000 in a land deal involving more than 12 hectares of land in Kampong Speu province’s Baseth district in 2018. 

Presiding Judge Sin Visal said the three men - Chen Ry, 40, Suong Sophal, 45, and Pov Sakhorn, 47, were land brokers in Kampong Speu province’s Baseth district.

He named the Taiwanese victim as Zhang Chili, 49, the owner of a garment factory named Hong Long Su Co., Ltd in Baseth district. 

According to Judge Visal, on May 30, 2018, the three men signed a contract for the purchase of more than 12 hectares of land in Srong commune, Baseth district, for $1.1 million to Zhang Chili.    

He said that after signing the contract, Zhang Chili paid $660,000 to the men on June 7, 2018, to enable them to start buying land in Sron commune. 

Zhang Chili paid another $110,000 to them to clear land that had been “bought”, Judge Visal said. 

“After the three men had received the money from Zhang Chili, they could not hand over the land as agreed.

“When Zhang Chili demanded her money back, they handed land titles for 33,557 square metre of land to her,” he said. 

\“But when the plaintiff took the land documents to attest or verify with the relevant local authorities, Zhang Chili discovered that the documents had been forged,” he added.  

On November 15 last tear, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court jailed Chen Ry one year while Suong Sophal and Pov Sakhorn were sentenced to two years in prison each.

The municipal court also ordered the trio to pay $660,000 in damages for damages and another $10,000) in compensation to Zhang Chili. 

They had been charged with two counts of “Fraud and Forging the Public Document” under Articles 377, 378 and 630 of the Criminal Code. 

During their appeal yesterday, Chin Ry admitted that he had received money from Zhang Chili. 

Ry said that after receiving the money, he gave the $660,000 to his real estate business partners - Suon Sophal and Pov Sakhorn – to buy land in Srong commune.

He said he kept $110,000 as the cost to clear land that had been bought.

Ry denied that he had forged the land titles because they were prepared by Sophal and Sakhorn with the local authorities.   

Suon Sophal and Pov Sakhon told the court that they received about $500,000 from Chin Ry. 

They asked the Phnom Penh Appeal Court to reject the compensation sought by Zhang Chili because they claimed they had handed over more than three hectares of land worth more than $600,000 after their arrest last year.  

A verdict is due on October 26.  

 

 

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