Three Arrested for Allegedly Embezzling $2.3M From Banks

A former manager at Canadia Bank PLC and two other former employees of the bank were arrested on Monday for allegedly using fraudulent credit cards to embezzle some $2.3 million from accounts held at ABA and SBC banks, according to the municipal police office and a report on the arrests.

By Wednesday evening, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court had not yet charged the three with any crime, while the lawyer for one of the detainees denied that his client had anything to do with the allegations.

Deputy Phnom Penh police chief Chuon Narin said officers arrested Yeth Sopheaktra, 30, a former manager at Canadia Bank, along with her boyfriend, Sun Saonin, 33, also a former bank employee, for illegally withdrawing money from accounts at ABA and SBC, and then depositing the proceeds at Canadia. A third suspect, Leng Suntry, was also questioned in relation to the case and arrested.

“Police arrested them after receiving complaints accusing them of stealing about $2.3 million,” Mr. Narin said.

Ms. Sopheaktra and Mr. Saonin were arrested on Monday and questioned at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court Wednesday, but have not been charged, said Municipal Court deputy prosecutor Mas Chan Piseth.

“I did not charge them yet because I did not finish my questioning, which will continue on Thursday,” Mr. Chan Piseth said.

According to a police report, a complainant named Chuong Ing Heng reported to police that Ms. Sopheaktra had deposited about $2.3 million into Canadia Bank accounts since she stopped work­ing at the bank in March.

The police report said that Ms. Sopheaktra and her accomplices used five fraudulent credit cards to withdraw money from ABA and SBC ATMs before depositing the money into accounts she created at Canadia Bank.

The lawyers for Ms. Sopheaktra and Mr. Saonin could not be reached for comment yesterday. Meng Sopheary, the lawyer for Mr. Suntry, said that his client was not part of the money-stealing scheme.

“My client did not…collude with the other two,” she said.

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