Five individuals, including senior government officials, businessmen, and a lawyer, have been charged—nearly all of them arrested—following a corruption and fraud crackdown linked to the jailing of two former aides to Senate President Hun Sen, according to an order from the Phnom Penh Municipal court.
The latest string of arrests include gemstone and construction businessman Ut Thy, former national police official Muong Khim, Pursat deputy governor Lay Viseth, former Kandal district governor Korn Sokkay, and attorney Lach Samrong, who is now on the run.
Korn Sokkay’s arrest is connected to allegations against Ly Sameth, a former advisor to Hun Sen, who was seen in a video posted on the former primer minister’s Facebook profile last week confessing to defrauding millions of dollars from people seeking favors and government positions. Sameth was arrested in Sihanoukville on November 4.
The post was reportedly prompted by a message from Sokkay, who claimed he gave Sameth $300,000 in exchange for a different appointment in Kandal province, according to Hun Sen.
Sokkay has since been charged with proffering bribes in exchange for his government position.
The arrests of tycoon Ut Thy, who holds the title of Oknha – awarded for large donations to the government or charity – and Muong Khim were on counts of “passive trading in influence”, a form of bribery that could result in five to 10 years in prison.
Additionally, Duong Dara, another former aide to Hun Sen, was arrested on October 14, on fraud and similar bribery charges.
A court statement obtained by CamboJA News, alleged that Lay Viseth had given $570,000 to Sameth and Lach Samrong, an involved lawyer and current fugitive, in an attempt to secure a provincial government position in Pursat.
Current Pursat provincial governor Khoy Rida denied any involvement from his cabinet in the corruption allegations facing the provincial government, attributing them solely to Viseth.
“Please ask the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, don’t ask me. He worked with me, but I don’t know about his personal issues,” he said. “It’s an individual matter; they must answer for themselves.
Transparency International executive director Pech Pisey called the crackdowns a step in the right direction, but emphasized that Cambodia’s “biggest obstacle” in the fight against corruption is the appointment of high-level officials through bribery.
“The legal action against individuals sends a signal to other high-level officials and the public that the government is addressing grand corruption and abuse of power, particularly among those within the leadership circle,” he said.
“It is crucial for the government to ensure that public officials are appointed based on merit, not patronage or nepotism,” Pisey added.
In 2023, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Cambodia 158 out of 180 countries — worse than its position of 150 the previous year.
Am Sam Ath, director of the local rights group Licadho, called on authorities to continue taking legal action against officials who have abused their power and perpetuated the systemic corruption in Cambodian governance.
“We have seen how this has seriously affected our society, with officials securing positions through bribes, not based on their ability or knowledge, making them ill-equipped to serve the public,” he said.
“We have seen that those who secure positions through bribery are more likely to commit acts of corruption,” Sam Ath added.
The spokesperson for the Anti-Corruption Unit, Soy Chanvichet, could not be reached for comment.
Lach Samrong, who remains on the run, did not respond to phone calls.
