After six unsuccessful summonses, a CPP undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture finally appeared for questioning at Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday, claiming afterwards that the fraud charges against him had been dropped.
But Investigating Judge Nhien Sovann said Wednesday that Ith Nody appeared to be confused, and that the charges remain in place.
“I had never considered dropping charges,” the judge said.
“After I questioned him I only decided not to detain him,” he added, explaining that Ith Nody had a government job and a residence in Phnom Penh, and is therefore unlikely to flee.
Ith Nody is accused of cheating a man, who is now a clerk at the court, out of $15,000 in 1999, after his alleged victim applied for an agriculture ministry license for a sawmill in Kompong Cham province.
Ith Nody was charged by the court early last year and summoned six times before he appeared in court.
Ith Nody’s former partner Ly Sodalis, who he says was his mistress but who court documents say is his wife, was charged with fraud over the same case in May 2002. She has been held at Prey Sar prison ever since, without a court verdict ever being issued in her case.
Following questioning on Tuesday, Ith Nody said the investigating judge had deemed that he was not involved in the case, and had requested that Municipal Court Prosecutor Ouk Savouth drop the charges against him.
Ith Nody also accused Huot Chhour, the court clerk who brought the original complaint against him, of being a relative of his imprisoned former female partner and of colluding with her to frame him. “They are trying to bring me into disrepute,” he said.
“I am a senior official. I had nothing to do with such a scheme,” he added.
Huot Chhour denied being related to Ly Sodalis, and warned Ith Nody that the case is far from over.
“I will complain to the Appeals Court and the Supreme Council of Magistracy. This case cannot be dropped. He is involved,” Huot Chhour said.
