Takeo Provincial Court charged a social affairs official with embezzlement Thursday and sent him to pre-trial detention, Anti-Corruption Unit officials said.
Oum Manira, the director of the provincial department of social affairs, veterans and youth rehabilitation, was charged with five counts of corruption following his arrest in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, said ACU Chairman Om Yentieng.
“He provided testimony over the embezzlement allegations,” Mr. Yentieng said.
“We arrested him yesterday and sent him to Takeo Provincial Court to press charges [of corruption] today,” he said. “Before we made the decision to arrest him, we repeatedly invited him to give testimony many times, especially because we had also issued a warning letter.”
Deputy court prosecutor Tin Sochetra said that he charged Mr. Monira with five counts of embezzlement in accordance with articles 597 and 598 of Criminal Code, crimes that are punishable by up to five years in prison and a 10 million riel fine ($2,500).
“While being questioned, he confessed to the embezzlement,” Mr. Sochetra said.
“The investigating judge decided to detain him in prison, so he is now being held in the provincial prison.”
An ACU official familiar with the case but not authorized to speak with the media said Mr. Monira had siphoned off more than 449 million riel ($111,800) since 2010.
“The first count was that he embezzled bonuses for veterans for the first six months of 2012,” the official said.
He is also alleged to have embezzled Cambodian Red Cross money in 2010 as well as money meant for his subordinates for missions to other provinces.
