A woman accused of cheating as many as 2,000 squatter families in a housing scam by posing as the director of an NGO was released last week on $20,000 bail by Phnom Penh Municipal Court, Judge Thong Ol said Friday.
Lak Sokthyna, 41, was charged last month with cheating Meanchey district squatters of an amount in the range of $100,000, after more than 200 squatters submitted complaints against her, Thong Ol said. However, Mon Champa, one of the plaintiffs representing the victims, said the figure could be as much as $200,000.
“[Lak Sokthyna] was released on bail a few days ago; I can’t remember clearly,” Thong Ol said Friday. “There is no law as to the amount of bail money required for release, but she paid $20,000.”
“We don’t know the date [of Lak Sokthyna’s trial] yet. We need to find more evidence,” Thong Ol said.
According to Mon Champa, Lak Sokthyna, posing as director of the NGO Cambodian Development Community, promised to build apartments for the families on a parcel of land approximately two hectares in size in Stung Meanchey commune that she didn’t even own. Individuals and families participating in the plan were asked to pay between $50 and $150 per month—proportional to their income—on a 20-year installment plan.
The scam was discovered when victims asked to be shown the land where their future homes would be built, commune police Chief Men Tith said late last month.
But when officials were alerted, they said they had never heard of Cambodian Development Community and knew nothing about land owned by Lak Sokthyna in Stung Meanchey.
According to the complaint lodged with the court, victims by that time had lost an average of $50 to $100 each, Men Tith said. Mon Champa said she and another more affluent plaintiff, Yeap Muoy, had lost more than $1,500 each.
Yeap Muoy said Friday she would demand the $20,000 bail money be dispersed to the victims, while Mon Champa emphasized the need for Lak Sokthyna to be held accountable and punished by the court.
