A senator’s legal crusade to clear her name over an alleged sex scandal continued on Monday during the final day of hearings in the trial of a military officer and former Interior Ministry official charged with defamation for spreading word of her supposed affair with a general.
Keo Maly, a ruling-party senator, and Seak Socheat, a three-star general in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), were rumored last year to be having an extramarital affair. Ms. Maly has successfully sued Information Ministry official Prum San and Mam Manut, the wife of the general, over the claims, which were shared on various Facebook pages.
On trial on Monday were Pheng Vannak, who has been suspended from his post at the Interior Ministry’s internal security department, and Hang Borey, who has been identified only as a senior RCAF officer. Ms. Borey was not present in court.
In November, Judge Top Chhun Heng delayed delivering a verdict and called for further investigation into the case. Picking up proceedings on Monday, the judge continued questioning Mr. Vannak about whether he had made defamatory claims about Ms. Maly on his Facebook page.
“I had no intention to defame anyone,” Mr. Vannak said, explaining that he had merely summarized information about the defamation case brought against Mr. San, the Information Ministry official.
“I don’t know what to say. It is the true information and is not exaggerated. I wrote about the complaint against Mr. Prum San,” he said. “I did not know Chumteav [Ms. Maly]. What reason would I have to defame her?”
Theng Meng Y, one of three lawyers for Ms. Maly, who was also not present in court, said his client’s reputation had been tarnished nonetheless.
“His activity truly affected my client’s dignity,” he said.
Ty Kimsrean, a lawyer for Ms. Borey, the military officer, said his client did not even use Facebook on the day the allegedly defamatory post appeared on her page.
A verdict is due on March 24.
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