The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 520
“Phnom Penh: The position of Her Excellency Ly Vuochleng, the President of the Appeals Court, was terminated via a royal decree signed and sealed by King Norodom Sihamoni, and she will be replaced by You Bunleng, currently serving at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia [the Khmer Rouge Tribunal] , who has been designated as the new President of the Appeals Court.
“As the former president of the Appeals Court had been dismissed, a person accused to have given a bribe, having been actively involved with Ly Vuochleng, was sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court by the Interior Ministry. The Municipal Court decided on 11 August 2007 to detain him temporarily for further questioning.
“The royal decree No. N.S/R.K.T/0807/339, dated 9 August 2007, signed and sealed at the Phnom Penh Royal Palace by King Norodom Sihamoni, states in Article 1 that the position of Ly Vuochleng, as president of the Appeals Court, was terminated, and she was assigned to work at the Ministry of Justice. In Article 2 Mr. You Bunleng, currently also a judge at the Appeals Court, was designated as the new President of the Appeals Court. In Article 3, any previous regulations contrary to the present royal decree were declared suspended. In Article 4, the Supreme Council of Magistracy [in charge of disciplining judges] and the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia are assigned to take further action relating to this royal decree. Article 5 states that this royal decree takes effect from the day when it is signed.
“The royal decree on the dismissal of the president of the Appeals Court has also been communicated to the relevant agencies of responsibility: the Supreme Council for State Reform, based on the request of the head of the of Council for Legal & Judicial Reform and the Minister of Justice; as well as to the cabinet of the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia.
“None of the officers approached dared to comment on the quiet dismissal of Ly Vuochleng from the position of president of the Appeals Court; however, there were some unofficial sources stating that the former president was deeply and actively involved with corruption and bribery in a number of penal court cases she had been in charge of for the trial and related decisions.
“After the president of the Appeal Court had been quietly removed, an old man was arrested by the authorities of the Ministry of Interior’s Central Bureau for Security for allegedly paying a bribe in exchange for the release of culprits. The arrested man had had direct contact with Her Excellency Ly Vuochleng.
“The authorities of the Ministry of Interior’s Central Bureau for Security arrested and sent Mr. Chhun Pouch to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on 11 August 2007, for interrogations about bribing a judge in order to temporarily free two detainees, Pouly, called Long, and Sam Leng, a former Chay Huor Hotel owner, which is currently known as Leang Huor Hotel, from being detained.
“Having scrutinized the final report issued by the expert authorities, together with the interrogation of the perpetrator, the deputy prosecutor Hoeng Bunchea, in charge of the bribery case of Chhun Pouch, in compliance with Article 58 of the Penal Code, transmitted the case and the accused to an investigating judge to commence the juridical process.
“When considering a warrant for sending the case for further investigations by a prosecutor, police of the Central Bureau for Security, together with Ke Sakhon, the interrogator of the accused, a deputy president of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, and investigating judges of the case, decided to issue a warrant to detain Chhun Pouch temporarily, in line with the accusation raised by the prosecutor for further investigations. Related to arresting and detaining Chhun Pouch, who is accused of offering bribes to court officials which led to the present situation of Ly Vuochleng, the specified source confidentially added that when Pouly and Sam Leng had already been in jail for two or three months, Chun Pouch contacted a certain Teng Sitha to try to seek to release them through the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. hough Pouly and Sam Leng offered US$120,000, this effort for securing their release was not successful. There were some fruitful results, however, as Pouly and Sam Leng, who were entangled in accusations of human trafficking, were brought to the court, and Kong Set, a tribunal judge, held a hearing, accusing the perpetrators only of opening a pornographic shop – which was just a medium offense. On one afternoon of mid-September 2006, Em Marady drove a car to take Chhun Pouch to meet Ly Vuochleng in person, in the living room of her house near Wat Mohamontrey. She told Chun Pouch that there would be no penalty imposed on either Pouly or Sam Leng. Then, Chun Pouch provided Her Excellency Ly Vuochleng with US$30,000, inserted in a yellow envelope, and she told him that she would hold a hearing on 31 August 2006.
“The source added that, after the hearing had been conducted, Pouly, called Long, and Sam Leng, were really set free by Ly Vuochleng from being detained. They were, nevertheless, re-arrested after the authorities found out that the acquitting of the perpetrators was irregular and related to corruption and bribery, which led to the re-arrest of Chhun Pouch who had paid the bribe, and to the request to King Norodom Sihamoni to issue a royal decree to arrest the person who had paid the bribe, a request by the Prime Minister and the Co-Chair of the Council for Legal & Judicial Reform.” Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1416, 12/13.8.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Monday, 13 August 2007
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1416, 12-13.8.2007
- Ly Vuochleng Removed as President of Appeals Court While Briber Is Arrested and Detained
- Approximately 2,000 Cambodian Women Who Went to Live and Work in Taiwan Suffer Human Rights Violations [from their Taiwanese husbands]
Khmer Mchas Srok, Vol.1, #1, 13.8.2007
- Mr. Yim Sovann [SRP parliamentarian, from Phnom Penh]: Government Must Prepares Anti-Corruption Law in Time
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6116, 13.8.2007
- Traffic Accidents Increase. In 2006: 1,292 among the 26,146 Victims Died
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3235, 13.8.2007
- Hun Sen Conducts Court Revolution Removing Ly Vuochleng and Reshuffles the Supreme Council of Magistracy as a Political Trick to Deceive Donors
- Anti-Corruption Law Must also Punish High Ranking Officials Like [the laws of] Other Countries in the World Do
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4361, 12.8.2007
- Samdech Norodom Vacheara [Funcinpec parliamentarian, Phnom Penh]: Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh Must Contact Samdech Prime Minister to Find a Solution [over reunification of monarchists]
Toussanak Khmer, [no volume number], #221, 13-14.8.2007
- People Congratulate Removal of Corrupt Court Chief Ly Vuochleng and Ask for Her to Be Punished Like Heng Pov [former Phnom Penh Municipal Police Commissioner who is now in jail
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