A US documentary filmmaker is standing by her report that Khmer Rouge tribunal appointee and Battambang Provincial Court President Nil Nonn was interviewed in 2002 for the US
Public Broadcasting System’s “Frontline/World” and admitted to taking money after judging court cases.
Nil Nonn denied earlier this month that he participated in an interview for the award-winning PBS show. He also denied a report on the PBS “Cambodia: Pol Pot’s Shadow” Web site that he had taken payments from the public.
Amanda Pike, producer of “Cambodia: Pol Pot’s Shadow,” wrote in an email received Friday that she had thoroughly reviewed all the tapes and transcripts of the interview with Nil Nonn.
“We interviewed Judge Nil Nonn on camera for an hour and 45 minutes on March 21, 2002 in Phnom Penh. We filmed proceedings in his Battambang courtroom on April 12, 2002,” Pike wrote.
“We also have Nil Nonn’s signed release form, in which he consents to be filmed for our documentary,” she added.
Pike said that during the interview she asked Nil Nonn if people ever offered him money to try to have their side win case.
“He answered: Yes, it happens to me as it does to others as well, but it is not through any efforts on my part. However, if after a trial people feel grateful to me and give me something, that’s normal. I don’t refuse it.”
According to Pike, Nil Nonn added: “I’ve settled the case for them and people feel grateful. Living conditions these days are difficult for me. But if you are talking about pressuring people for bribes—no.”
Contacted on Friday Nil Nonn said: “I don’t know. I don’t give information.”
Reach Sambath, a spokesman for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia—the tribunal’s officials title—said the issue was in the past and irrelevant to the proceedings about to be undertaken.
“[Nil Nonn] has already denied it and this happened a long time ago,” Reach Sambath said.
“It doesn’t affect the tribunal. This work is extraordinary. Everything is very new,” he said.
