SRP President Sam Rainsy arrived unannounced at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday morning to submit documents for the disinformation and defamation lawsuit filed against him by Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong.
Initially not allowed into the court compound, Sam Rainsy complained to a crowd of journalists that after being summoned three times by the court, Municipal Deputy Prosecutor Ek Cheng Hout was not there to meet him when he finally showed up.
“I came here, but the prosecutor has escaped,” Sam Rainsy said. “This is a puppet court,” he said, adding that he was too busy campaigning for the upcoming election to appear at his earlier court appointments.
Ek Cheng Hout said by phone Wednesday that he wasn’t available to meet with Sam Rainsy because he was in Pursat province. He added that he was unable to meet Sam Rainsy as he was not expecting the opposition leader to appear at the courthouse Wednesday.
Hor Namhong filed the lawsuit over remarks in April by Sam Rainsy linking the foreign minister to the Khmer Rouge regime.
Hor Namhong could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said that Hor Namhong’s lawsuit is a personal issue and not a political matter.
“Sam Rainsy defamed and misinformed [the public about] Hor Namhong, so now Hor Namhong has a lawsuit against him,” he said.
