The lawyer representing six Thai nationals suspected of participating in a high-tech card-cheating scam that swindled Poipet’s Star Vegas Casino out of more than $3.5 million said that his clients had been tortured during their detention.
“They were tortured during their interrogation in Poipet, and we believe this took place inside the grounds of the Star Vegas Casino,” lawyer Kao Soupha said Tuesday.
He said one of his clients had two black eyes and two others had bruises running down their left arms. He said the remaining three were also tortured yet bore no scars from the experience.
Nine Thai nationals were originally arrested when the scam was discovered Jan 12. Three were released after agreeing to pay an undisclosed sum in compensation to the casino, while the others were transferred to Phnom Penh last week.
The six have been charged with theft and incarcerated at Prey Sar prison on the authority of Municipal Court Investigating Judge Ham Meng Se.
Ham Meng Se confirmed Tuesday that at least one suspect bore bruises. “I saw one man with a black eye, but I do not know how it was caused,” he said.
A manager at the Star Vegas Casino who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the suspects were in perfect physical health when they were transferred to police custody.
Director of Prey Sar prison Kim Sarin also said the suspects were perfectly healthy, and that they had been visited by a representative from the Thai embassy on both Monday and Tuesday.
Thai Embassy officials were unavailable for comment Tuesday.
