On Tuesday, October 8, the government issued a sub-decree terminating Korn Sokkay from his position as governor of Lvea Em district, Kandal province.
The decision follows a day after Senate President Hun Sen wrote on Facebook that Ly Sameth, a longtime advisor to him and who helped secure Sokkay’s appointment, solicited bribes in exchange for favors and government positions.
Hun Sen, who stepped down as prime minister in favor of his son last year, called for Sameth’s assets to be frozen and for the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to order him to pay restitution to those who he took money from – a sum that Hun Sen estimates to be over $10.5 million.
The decision to terminate Sokkay’s position was based on his “serious ethical and professional violations” of the General Statute of the Civil Service of the Kingdom of Cambodia, according to the sub-decree.
Hun Sen’s Monday Facebook post, where he accused Sameth of “using his name to cheat people,” was apparently prompted by a private video message from Sokkay. In the message, Sokkay allegedly claimed he had given Sameth $300,000 to secure an appointment as the governor of another township in Kandal.
Chi Sivutha, Kandal provincial administrative director, confirmed to CamboJA News that Sokkay was dismissed as the governor of Lvea Em district but did not elaborate on the grounds, stating that the matter was now beyond Kandal province’s jurisdiction.
Sivutha has since appointed a deputy district governor for Lvea Em district to temporarily replace Sokkay.
In his post, Hun Sen identified two other individuals from whom Sameth allegedly swindled large bribes, which he claims were later returned on his orders, while also accusing him of defrauding several other Cambodians over the past two years.
The Senate President urged anyone else who had given money to Sameth to file legal complaints and directed his legal team to help coordinate the recovery of lost funds.
Anti-Corruption Unit spokesperson Soy Chan Vichet told CamboJA News that Sameth is likely involved in a fraud case and the Ministry of Justice, along with the Anti-Corruption Unit, are investigating the matter.
“What we see is a picture of fraud, so the Ministry of Justice will take the first step,” said Chan Vichet. “Then we will take further action.”
Sam Vicheka, spokesperson for the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, confirmed that police officers went to Sameth’s house on Tuesday morning to question him, but he was not home. Since then, authorities have continued to monitor his house, Vicheka said.
Ky Tech, President of Samdech Techo Volunteer Lawyers, a pro-bono government lawyer group established by Hun Sen, told CamboJA News via telegram that “three fraud victims” have contacted the group for assistance.
Pech Pisey, executive director of Transparency International Cambodia, told CamboJA News that bribery negatively affects the provision of public services in the country and erodes confidence in leadership.
“If people see the small case of a district governor having to spend big money to get the position, they will then worry that more significant political roles are obtained in similar ways.”
Pisey pointed out that widespread corruption – both small and large-scale – is still ongoing in Cambodia, particularly in relation to systemic corruption. He stated that this remains a major obstacle that significantly affects the government’s ability to provide services to the public.
Meanwhile, independent political analyst Meas Nee expressed his support for the government’s apparent anti-bribery measures taken in response to this case, while also saying that the current political corruption propagates mismanagement.
“Because of bribery for this position, we will eventually become a system that is rich in incompetence,” he said.
Cambodia’s apparent ongoing corruption crisis is underscored by its low score of 22 out of 100 on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), a widely used global corruption ranking system by Transparency International.
As a result, Cambodia is now ranked 158 out of 180 countries measured on the index, down from 150 the previous year. In the Asia-Pacific region, Cambodia’s ranking is ahead of only North Korea (17), Afghanistan (20), and Myanmar (20).
