A prominent Cambodian opposition leader was yesterday convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison for passing fraudulent checks, an early sign that the country’s long season of repression is set to continue under its new-look leadership.
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In a hearing yesterday, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Thach Setha, a vice president of the Candlelight Party (CLP), guilty of issuing several bounced checks in 2019, The Associated Press reported, citing Setha’s lawyer Sam Sokong.
The defense counsel said the court also ordered the 70-year-old politician to pay $33,400 to the company that filed the complaint about the checks, leading to his arrest in January.