A Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court clerk accused of demanding thousands of dollars in bribes to process standard paperwork was charged on Wednesday with misappropriation of public funds, a court official said.
Hang Samoeun was charged under the Criminal Code and the Anti-Corruption Law, according to Sok Keobandith, deputy prosecutor and provincial court spokesman. Investigating Judge Nhim Pisal also decided to detain him at the provincial prison while he awaits trial, Mr. Keobandith said.
The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) announced on its Facebook page on Wednesday that it had arrested Mr. Samoeun on Sunday in a hotel room where he had arranged to meet his latest victim.
Mr. Samoeun had collected $3,500 from numerous victims since December, but had attempted to collect as much as $40,000, land, and motor vehicles, the ACU said. He would “delay time and again and demand bribes to fulfill his duty,” the ACU said.
The misappropriation charge carries a penalty of two to five years in prison and a fine of up to 10 million riel, or about $2,500.
