Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court is scheduled to announce verdicts today in two cases of child sex abuse involving Russian businessman Alexander Trofimov, who stands accused of sexually abusing 18 girls in the province, court officials said by telephone Monday.
Trofimov was sentenced to eight years in prison last year for sexually abusing one of the girls, but was retried Monday morning because he was not present for the first two days of his original trial.
On Monday afternoon in the same courthouse, Trofimov stood trial in another case involving his alleged sexual abuse of 17 young girls, his attorney, Saing Vannak said.
“My client was absent for two days in the previous trial, so he asked the court for a retrial,” Saing Vannak said.
“[On Monday], the court heard two cases and the verdict of both cases would be announced [this morning],” he said.
Judge Kim Eng will rule on the first case, while Judge Taing Sunlay will give the verdict on the second one, he added.
Court Prosecutor Meas Sopheak declined to comment Monday on either of Trofimov’s cases, saying his statements might affect the outcome of the case.
Trofimov was the executive director of Koh Puos (Cambodia) Investment Group Ltd, which is developing a holiday resort island, when he was arrested in 2007.
He first stood trial at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in March 2008 on charges of abusing a 13-year-old girl, for which the court gave him 13 years in prison. The Appeal Court later reduced his term to seven years in prison.
(Additional reporting by Frank Radosevich)
