Imprisoned Deputy Chief’s House Searched

Court officials and military police officers searched the home of jailed municipal minor crime police dep­uty chief Ly Rasy on Saturday in con­­nection with the death of a wo­man in police custody in 2005 and the assassination of Judge Sok Setha­mony in 2003, officials said Sunday.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court Deputy Prosecutor Sok Kolyan said  military police and court officials searched two Phnom Penh houses belonging to Ly Rasy between 8 am and 1:20 pm on Saturday, confiscating two computers, bank documents and other items.

Last week Ly Rasy was officially charged with the killing of Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Sok Sethamony, said Sok Kolyan.

Four police colleagues, who have also been arrested, accused Ly Ra­sy of ordering them to kill the judge, Sok Kolyan added.

Municipal mi­nor crime police officer Prum Soph­earith, municipal criminal section deputy police chief Hang Vuthy, his brother Hang Vutha, who is a muni­cipal police official, and Interior Min­i­stry penal police officer Oum Sam­kheng have also been charged in connection with Sok Sethamony’s death.

Ly Rasy’s lawyer, Long Dara, said he had accompanied the authorities during the searches. He added that Ly Rasy is also charged in the death of Duong Sopheap, a young wo­man who was allegedly tortured and beaten to death in police detention after being arrested on a minor charge.

Municipal minor crime police chief Hong Setha, minor crime criminal section chief Sim Sotha and his deputies Thon Chanary, Oung Samnang and Chan Vanny are also charged in connection with the killing of Duong Sopheap.

Ly Rasy has also been charged with the attempted killings of muni­cipal court Chief Prosecutor Ouk Sa­v­outh and National Military Po­lice Commander Sao Sokha, Long Dara said.

Long Dara said he did not yet have information either contradicting or confirming newspaper re­ports that bank records confiscated in the searches indicated that Ly Rasy had hundreds of thousands of dollars in his accounts.

A municipal court clerk who de­clined to be named said that the searches had proceeded in an orderly and legal fashion, with both Long Dara and Ly Rasy’s wife and mother-in-law present while officials searched the two homes.