Duong Dara, an assistant of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, was sent to Phnom Penh Prison, commonly known as “PJ”, after being charged with fraud on October 14, Nuth Savana, spokesperson of the General Department of Prisons, confirmed.
“Yes, as I remember, he was sent to PJ prison at 8p.m on Monday,” Savana told CamboJA News.
Dara was first questioned by the Phnom Penh Municipal Police after he came back from China on October 10, 2024, National Police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun said last week.
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor opened an investigation, following which Dara was charged under Articles 377 and 378 of the Criminal Code, said court spokesperson Plang Sophal. However, he did not specify who filed the original complaint against Dara.
According to Koh Santepheap Daily, in the afternoon of October 10, the police executed an order to bring Dara to the Phnom Penh Municipal Police for questioning in relation to a complaint made by the public, but it did not identify the individuals.
Dara was the person who created Hun Sen’s Facebook page and later became his personal assistant. In November 2020, Dara was appointed as secretary of state at the Council of Ministers.
According to Kampuchea Thmey, Dara recently owned a luxury car and distributed money to the poor on the streets – pictures which were shared on his Facebook page. However, the media alleged that “behind his good act on social media he was involved in a large-scale scam where dozens of people in Svay Rieng fell victim”.
In a similar incident, authorities arrested Leng Channa and several of her accomplices and sent them to Siem Reap Provincial Court on investment fraud and online scams in March this year.
In August, authorities arrested Kuy Vat, former director-general of Cambodian Investment Capital Partnership (CIC), for fraud amounting to “tens of millions of dollars” after the victims filed a lawsuit in court.
Prior to his arrest, Dara was allegedly involved in a scandal linked to money laundering, where scores of people, who invested in a land and house project called Phum Khmer Group in Svay Rieng, alleged that they had been cheated.
On February 3, 2024, Dara stood in front of the investors, “guaranteeing” them that Phum Khmer Group, where his brother Duong Virath was one of the shareholders, would “not cheat them”. Dara, who used to guarantee the company’s activities, denied that he was involved in it.
Am Sam Ath, operations director of human rights group Licadho, believes that most fraud cases were committed by “highly-educated” people and those who are “close to rich and powerful people”. “They use the opportunity to seize power and build trust to deceive innocent people.”
While he supported the legal action against “swindlers”, legal action alone was not enough. There should be compensation for victims as they “fall into debt, and lose their property and livelihood.”
“I support the government’s legal action against high-ranking officials or those in power who use their position and hurt the lives of people by deceiving them,” Sam Ath said, but added that the “problem also affected the reputation of the government”.
“The court should freeze the assets of individuals or companies, or sell them to raise compensation for the victims.”
