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The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) said it will send two senior officials to court on Wednesday over alleged bribery tied to online scam networks and money laundering.
ACU spokesperson Soy Chanvichet said Deputy Director-General of Immigration Uk Heisela and Phnom Penh Deputy Police Commissioner Sor Samnang were referred to court, but gave few details, adding the investigation has been underway for about 20 days.
He said the officials are suspected of taking bribes from scam operations and links to money laundering, but did not say whether charges have been filed or if others are under investigation.
“The case will be sent to court this afternoon. More information will be provided later,” he said.
Pro-government outlet Fresh News reported two additional suspects, Samnang’s wife and another individual identified as Yat Kosal, are also implicated in the case.
The case comes amid a broader crackdown on scam operations across the country this year following international pressure. Authorities say they have shut down hundreds of scam compounds and launched legal cases against some 750 alleged “ringleaders.”
Around 48,000 foreign workers in the compounds, many of whom anti-trafficking groups say may have been forced or coerced into the industry, have been deported, according to the Information Ministry.
Heisela and Samnang are the latest officials to face legal action over alleged corruption linked to scam syndicates. In March, authorities detained a deputy director and an official from the Koh Kong customs and excise branch after allegedly uncovering more than $1 million in illicit funds.
In October last year, the Department of Identification summoned its deputy director-general Kong Vuthy for investigation over allegations he accepted $2 million from foreign nationals in exchange for Cambodian citizenship.
As some officials have been targeted for alleged collusion with scam operators, observers have called for broader action against other senior officials and elites with ties to the illicit industry.
Sok Veasna, head of the General Department of Immigration, declined to comment, saying he was in a meeting and referring questions to the ACU. Phnom Penh police chief Choun Narin and spokesperson Som Vicheka did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Am Sam Ath, operations director of local rights group Licadho, said the court referral of senior officials allegedly involved in corruption should be followed by transparent mechanisms and further action to identify those behind the schemes.
Civil society groups want to see accountability for those orchestrating scams in Cambodia, he added.
Transparency International Cambodia executive director Sin Putheary said the referral of senior officials allegedly involved in bribery linked to online scams is part of the ACU’s legal procedures.
“Transparency International Cambodia supports legal action to ensure economic stability and combat corruption, which helps build trust among social and economic investors,” she added.
