Funcinpec’s secretary-general Nhek Bun Chhay and a former member of the party have filed dueling complaints against each other, with Mr Bun Chhay attempting to sue the former member for disinformation and forgery.
Mr Bun Chhay’s lawyer, Dem Bunleng, said yesterday his client was demanding 50 million riel (about $12, 391) from Bun Tha, the publisher of the Khmer Amatak newspaper and a member of the Norodom Ranariddh Party’s central committee.
Mr Bunleng said his client was suing for disinformation and forgery after Mr Tha’s newspaper published documents on Feb 15 that allegedly showed an August 2008 deal made between Mr Bun Chhay and a Chinese firm, Kahua Industry Investment Co Ltd.
“Mr Bun Chhay demands 50 million riel and asks the court to punish Mr Tha by the rule of law,” the lawyer said.
Deputy Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor Hing Bunchea said he summoned Mr Tha for questioning on Friday but declined to comment further on the case since it was ongoing.
Documents released yesterday by the Funcinpec Cabinet included a clarification statement from Kahua Industry Investment that stated Mr Bun Chhay was only a witness to the business deal, which involved transferring 80 percent of the company’s shares and $5.8 million to another company called Speedy Best Technology Co Ltd.
The statement went on to say that Mr Bun Chhay did receive a loan of $2.5 million from Kahua’s chairman, Chan Bei Chuan, in 2008.
Mr Tha filed his own complaint on Tuesday with the Anticorruption Unit, alleging Mr Bun Chhay took funds from the Chinese telecommunications company.
“I sent the complaint to the Anticorruption Unit to investigate that Mr Bun Chhay got $6 million from Speedy Best Technology,” he said yesterday. “I got the document from my source, and if My Bun Chhay knew that document was wrong or the article is not correct he should send me the right document or write to me to do a correction.”
ACU head Om Yentieng could not be reached for comment yesterday.
