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Interior Minister Sar Sokha has hired two U.S. law firms for over $250,000 to help counter sanctions efforts against him and support his diplomatic engagement in Washington, according to filings with the U.S. Justice Department.
The agreements, signed in May with Seiden Law and Nelson Mullins and disclosed as recently as June 1 under U.S. foreign lobbying rules, relate in part to legislation targeting foreign individuals and entities linked to online scam operations.
Sokha denied links to such operations and Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak said in a Telegram message that Sokha had hired lawyers to protect himself, the ministry and Cambodia’s reputation from what he called slanderous accusations.
“The right to a lawyer is a general right granted by international law to protect oneself, the ministry, and the honor of Cambodia from slander and linking to something that one is not involved in,” he said, adding that the accusations had threatened Sokha’s safety and that of his family.
Nelson Mullins said it will advise Sokha, who also serves as a deputy prime minister, on diplomatic activities in the United States through July. The firm said its work could include outreach to members of Congress, executive branch officials and the media to help advance relations.
Seiden Law said it would provide legal services related to communications with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and a congressional committee reviewing legislation targeting foreign individuals and entities linked to cyber-enabled fraud.
The Seiden filing said the work would seek to address Sokha’s inclusion in proposed legislation that would require U.S. President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on him and others accused of responsibility for scams targeting Americans. The bill would also establish an interagency task force to combat the networks behind them.
The proposed bill also names several other Cambodian officials and Hun To, a cousin of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, for possible sanctions.
Allegations about Sokha’s links to fraud networks stem from his previous role as co-director of scam-linked Jinbei Investment with Chen Zhi, founder of the Prince Group, according to Ministry of Commerce records. Washington and Britain sanctioned Chen and Prince last year, accusing the group of involvement in scam operations, money laundering and human trafficking. Chen has since been extradited to China.
Sokhak said Sokha’s past contact with Chen was “a normal social relationship” and he denies responsibility for any illegal acts Chen may have committed.
The 45-year-old minister, who succeeded his father in the role in 2023, now oversees Cambodia’s campaign against online fraud and human trafficking, launched amid mounting international pressure over the country’s emergence as a hub for transnational cyber scam networks.
