A CNRP councilor in Kompong Thom province submitted complaints to four government institutions on Monday against leaders of the provincial police, accusing them of stealing and taking cuts of their subordinates’ salaries.
Provincial councilor Sun Chanthy said Tuesday that he submitted letters to the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), the Ministry of Interior, the Senate and the National Assembly’s anti-corruption commission.
“We have three pieces of evidence to prove corruption is occurring in Kompong Thom Commissariat Police Headquarters,” Mr. Chanthy said.
“I met and interviewed some police officers who claimed that leaders of the commissariat police exploited their seniority,” he said, adding that provincial police chief Chou Sam An had admitted during a provincial council meeting on Thursday that corruption had occurred within his ranks.
Mr. Chanthy said police in the province told him during interviews that at least 400 of their peers have complained that their bosses are taking a cut of their wages.
“For example, police officers who deserve 600,000 riel [about $145] after receiving promotions are having 60 to 70 percent of their wages taken because leaders of the provincial police are taking a cut,” he said.
Contacted Tuesday, Mr. Sam An said that he was aware of only one of his colleagues in the provincial police department of financial mismanagement.
“This case does not involve me, it involves only one police officer, Major Choem Leakhena, deputy chief of the accounting bureau, who was not paying his police officers fully,” he said. “My subordinate complained to me about this case and I educated [Mr. Leakhena] once, but he didn’t listen.”
Maj. Leakhena could not be reached for comment.
Mr. Sam An said he was headed to Phnom Penh on Tuesday to have a meeting with national police officials regarding the matter.
Chhay Savuth, vice chairman of the ACU, said that he was not aware of Mr. Chanthy’s complaint because he was busy monitoring the grade 12 school examination Tuesday.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak and national police spokesman Kirth Chantharith could not be reached for comment.
