Lawyer: Heng Pov’s Deportation Court Case Continues

Arguments in the deportation case of former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Pov were adjourned Fri­day at the Malaysian High Court and will continue on Monday and pos­sibly on Thursday, a lawyer said.

Ahmad Shukor, one of two attorneys representing Heng Pov in the Malaysian capital, said the former police chief has lost a substantial amount of body weight in prison.

“In terms of health, I do not think he’s doing very well and…I’d say he’s lost a lot of weight,” Shukor said.

“From the photographs I’ve seen on the Internet, I’d say he’s lost about 50 percent [of his weight].”

Shukor said Heng Pov was receiving medical attention while in detention but that it was not “the care of a free man.”

Heng Pov, who turns 49 on Fri­day, is also having problems arising from the prosthesis of his left leg, which requires regular attention, Shukor said.

Heng Pov had the leg amputated in 1992 after attempting to mediate a standoff with armed bandits in Kompong Speu province.

“If the court were to allow habeas corpus we want the director-general of Immigration to send Heng Pov to his last port of embarkation,” Shukor added.

This would mean sending Heng Pov to Singapore while Malaysian and Cambodian authorities have argued that Heng Pov should be sent home to face justice, where he has been found guilty of killing a judge.

Heng Pov denies the charge and claims that the will be killed if returned to Cambodia because of his in depth knowledge of alleged wrongdoing in the upper echelons of power in Cambodia.

“I think that we have a very good argument,” Shukor added.

The court battle to avoid Heng Pov’s deportation to Cambodia has been delayed four times since Malaysian authorities arrested the fugitive officer on Oct 3 for overstaying his entry pass.

 

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