Former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Pov was convicted Thursday of confining a bribery suspect without charge for 69 days longer than legally allowed, and was sentenced to an additional seven years in jail.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court also convicted former municipal minor-crime deputy police chief Ly Rasy, 37, of illegally holding the woman, who was later found guilty of bribing a judge to ensure the release of her brother. Ly Rasy was sentenced to six years behind bars.
Their conviction followed Wednesday’s acquittals of both Heng Pov and former municipal anti-human trafficking police chief Meng Say, who both stood accused of kidnapping and ransom.
Announcing his verdict Thursday, presiding Judge Sao Meach ordered Heng Pov and Ly Rasy to jointly pay $25,000 in compensation to their victim, Heng Kimlieng.
“Please punish me alone because there are too many of my subordinates,” Heng Pov said as he was escorted from the courtroom. “There is not only Ly Rasy—there are more.”
Ly Rasy had already been sentenced to 12 years in July 2006 for conspiring with fellow officers in the death of a theft suspect who died in police custody in June 2005.
Ly Rasy was also sentenced in September to 16 years for the 2003 murder of municipal court judge Sok Sethamony. Heng Pov is serving an 18-year sentence for his involvement in that killing.
Ly Rasy told the court he arrested Heng Kimlieng after she confessed to paying $2,000 for the release of her brother, who was convicted of robbery. Ly Rasy said he had acted solely on the orders of Heng Pov.
Heng Kimlieng was sentenced to 18 months in jail over the crime in December 2005. But she told the court Thursday that she had confessed under duress.
Heng Pov told the court that the arrest was made following Prime Minister Hun Sen’s “iron fist” campaign against corruption in the judiciary.
He also told the court that he had referred the case within 48 hours to the Justice Ministry, where he claimed officials told him the excess detention was not a problem.
“[Justice Minister] Ang Vong Vathana and [former secretary of state] Tuot Lux said nothing was wrong because the cases were all sent to the Justice Ministry,” Heng Pov claimed.
He also claimed that he had informed National Police Commissioner Hok Lundy and Hun Sen of the arrest.
Ang Vong Vathana could not be reached Thursday while a person answering Tuot Lux’s telephone said he was too busy to comment.
Hok Lundy could not be reached.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said Heng Pov’s argument was illogical, and that Hun Sen’s “iron fist” campaign was conducted completely within the realms of the law.
“This iron fist was within the framework of the law,” he said. “Heng Pov wanted to use it for his own purposes.”
In the interlude before sentence was passed, a soft-spoken Heng Pov briefly adressed reporters.
“I never expected to end up like this,” Heng Pov said, describing conditions in Prey Sar prison.
Under his tenure as Phnom Penh police chief, the prison’s population grew from 300 to 2,000, and some inmates have threatened to beat him for his work, he said.
But one inmate came to Heng Pov, tearful with remorse, calling him “the only police officer who never took bribes from robbers,” Heng Pov claimed.
“I lie, thinking against the wall, listening to sewage water dropping and the music of mosquitoes,” he told reporters.
“How many police officers are demanding court reform? There is only I, Heng Pov,” he added.
