The recently ousted secretary-general of the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) yesterday filed a complaint with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, accusing the party’s Cabinet chief of forging a letter that resulted in him being sacked.
Sao Rany, the former secretary-general who was fired last week for apparent insubordination, is accusing Noranarith Ananda Yath of forging a letter purported to be written by Prince Norodom Ranariddh that kicks Mr. Rany and five deputies out of the party.
“I asked the court to issue an injunction to keep my position and those of the other five senior members,” Mr. Rany said by telephone after filing the complaint. He said the complaint was split into three cases that involve alleged forgery, using the party stamp and a betrayal of confidence.
The letter, which bears Prince Ranariddh’s signature, is dated Friday and nullifies the men’s positions within the party “according to the party statute.” The letter was issued after Mr. Rany spoke out last week and said Prince Ranariddh should “stay away” if the NRP and royalist Funcinpec parties are ever to merge.
“It is a forged letter, because they used the prince’s signature, even though he is out of the country,” Mr. Rany said, adding that Prince Ranariddh left the country on July 1.
Mr. Ananda Yath referred questions to his lawyer, Kouy Thunna.
“The prince wrote the letter, and Mr. Ananda Yath was not in the wrong, nor did he commit forgery as Mr. Rany has accused him,” Mr. Thunna said.
On Sunday, NRP spokesman Pen Sangha insisted that the letter was official.
