After a new audio clip was leaked online of deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha apparently in private conversation with yet another girlfriend, a group of activist students announced on Friday that they had filed a complaint against him with the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), seeking to determine how he obtained the money to fund his alleged extramarital liaisons.
The students, who have banded together over the past two weeks to press Mr. Sokha for answers about his alleged affairs, said yesterday that they were disturbed by information presented in the audio clip leaked on Friday, as well as a number of other clips posted to Facebook in recent weeks, in which a man purported to be Mr. Sokha discusses giving money and property to girlfriends.
In the most recent clip, posted to a Facebook page called “Truth of the CNRP,” a man with a voice similar to Mr. Sokha’s can be heard discussing a monetary gift with a woman identified as Srey Pov, who calls him “dear.”
The man says he will deposit several thousand dollars into a bank account for Srey Pov so she can access the funds easily.
“How much will you deposit?” the woman asks.
“$3,000,” the man responds.
“You said four,” she responds.
“OK, four,” he agrees.
He adds: “So I will give you $4,000. I will deposit it and then you can manage it to use for business. OK, I will go to deposit soon.”
In other audio clips previously leaked on the Truth of CNRP page and another page purporting to be that of Mr. Sokha’s other mistress, a man who sounds like the deputy opposition leader can be heard discussing buying a plot of land and a house for the woman.
Srey Chamroeun, a 24-year-old law student who spearheaded the filing of the complaint, said the clips were evidence that Mr. Sokha was corrupt, as it was unlikely that a lawmaker could afford to give away so much money away.
“Based on the audio recordings, we are really suspicious that Kem Sokha is involved with corruption,” Mr. Chamroeun said.
“Because he’s a lawmaker and a member of the National Assembly, we wonder where are the sources of money that Kem Sokha has generated to afford to pay and support his mistresses,” he said.
“If it’s true, we hope the ACU will take legal action against him,” he added.
Mr. Chamroeun claimed that the unit had accepted the complaint and told him it would be reviewed. ACU and CNRP officials could not be reached for comment.
The band of ostensibly concerned students represented by Mr. Chamroeun have crusaded tirelessly to get Mr. Sokha to speak publicly about the unfolding scandal surrounding the audio clips.
Claiming they only want to determine the truth about the deputy opposition leader, they have staged several protests against his silence on the matter, urged the National Assembly to summon him for questioning, and filed a complaint with the municipal court accusing one of the alleged mistresses of fraud.
