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A 65-year-old Phnom Penh man who spent more than 20 days in pretrial detention on accusations that he stole a gong from a pagoda has filed a complaint accusing five police officers of beating him and taking his belongings without recording them.
Kambol district police rejected the allegations, while the Interior Ministry said it would investigate.
Kong Rattana and his family filed the complaint Monday with the Interior Ministry. It alleges that the officers failed to prepare a record of seized evidence for the court as required by law, and that the investigation was marred by irregularities and violations of his rights.
The complaint names Bun Satya, deputy police commissioner in charge of the criminal affairs division at the Phnom Penh Municipal Police Commissariat; Hong Piseth, chief of the Kambol district police inspectorate; Sok Sivutha, deputy chief of the inspectorate; Ke Thien An, head of a unit at the inspectorate; and Nhor Serey, chief of the Prateah Lang commune police station.
Rattana, who was released on bail, denied stealing the gong. He said officers kept beating him during questioning even after he denied the accusation, leaving him injured, before arresting him and sending him to court, where he was ordered held in pretrial detention.
He said officers also seized his belongings and kept them at the Kambol district police office without listing them in the official report. As a result, he said, he lost 600,000 riel (about $150), a wristwatch and a motorcycle.
“I am a poor man and have only a few possessions. I kept that money to pay for treatment of my chronic illness. If it is all taken away, how can I accept that?” he said.
Kambol district police arrested Rattana on Aug. 12 after monks at Svay Meas Pagoda accused him of stealing a bronze gong, according to a police report published by pro-government outlet Kampuchea Thmey. Ten days later, an investigating judge at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged him with theft and ordered him held pending trial. He was released on bail on Sept. 14. No trial date has been set.
Kampuchea Thmey also reported Wednesday that Kambol district police called the allegations “baseless.”
Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak said the ministry reviews complaints and requests from citizens and would not ignore anyone.
“The ministry will examine whether the officers followed the proper procedures and professional standards,” he said. “If we find that the officers acted correctly, we will clear their names. But if their actions were improper, we will also take action against the officers who committed wrongdoing.”
Satya did not answer phone calls seeking comment.
Rattana’s son-in-law, Bun Phearum, called the alleged irregularities unacceptable and said the family wanted justice and its reputation restored.
“I think that was wrong because they did not even send the evidence to the court,” he said.
Am Sam Ath, operations director of the rights group Licadho, called for a transparent investigation.
“Although the law and procedures grant these authorities powers, they are still required to conduct a clear investigation and gather strong evidence showing that the person being arrested or charged is involved,” he said. “But in the past, this has not always been implemented clearly.”
Sam Ath said that when people file complaints, authorities must investigate transparently and fairly to deliver justice and keep similar problems from recurring.
