The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday sentenced three Cambodians and a Chinese man to four years in prison for attempting to send three women to China to be married.
Presiding Judge Kor Vandy found Ky Chheang Ang, 57; his wife Srey Huor, 55; Im Hieb, 60; and Chinese national Cao Wuhua, 42, guilty of receiving the women for the purpose of assisting traffickers.
He suspended two years of the four-year sentences and fined each 5 million riel (about $1,250). The four were arrested at a guesthouse in Prampi Makara district on September 9, shortly before they planned to bring the women to the Phnom Penh International Airport.
In a hearing last month, a court clerk read a statement from one of the victims, Vong Sokny, who claimed she had been promised $1,000 on arrival in China.
Speaking outside the courtroom, Y Chamroeun, a lawyer for Mr. Wuhua, who will be deported upon release, continued to maintain his client’s innocence.
“During the trial, I think there was no evidence to prove he is a culprit,” he said.
