Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday sentenced two former RCAF officials and four civilians to prison for the kidnapping of a Cambodian-American woman in August.
One RCAF official and a civilian were sentenced in absentia, while the other four men attended the trial and were subsequently taken to Prey Sar prison.
Klout Sothy was abducted shortly after arriving in Cambodia on Aug 22 from California and held for a $5 million ransom for four days, trial Judge Nhean Sovann said.
Four of the men were arrested after releasing the victim unharmed on Aug 29 without the ransom being paid.
Former RCAF Lieutenant Colonel Kim Vanthai, 49, was sentenced to nine years in prison, while Thach Khom, 36, a former member of RCAF’s Brigade 70 who the judge said led the kidnappers, was given 10 years in absentia.
Nhean Sovann gave nine years each to Him Samey, 40 and Touch Sophan, 43. Men Chandara, 48, received seven years and Sang Han, 46, was given 10 years in absentia.
The men were all convicted of kidnapping and possession of illegal weapons.
Him Samey confessed to guarding the woman in a patch of jungle some 100 meters off National Route 4 in Kompong Speu’s Phnom Srouch district. He said he and Sang Han released her out of pity.
“She talked to me about [Buddhist] dharma lessons,” Him Samey recalled.
The other four men were involved in the abduction but did not guard the victim.
Kim Vanthai, an acquaintance of the victim, told the court that he went to her Chamkar Mon district home on the day of the kidnapping, and telephoned the gang to tell them to carry out the abduction.
Touch Sophan told the court that he was an innocent taxi driver who had accidentally driven the gang, and that he had confessed under torture. But the judge said telephone records implicated Touch Sophan in the ransom demands.
Defense lawyer Nach Try asked the judge to delay the verdict so an investigation into the possible involvement of the victim’s husband, Ou Dara, could be undertaken. The judge overruled the motion, saying no suspect had ever implicated him.