Former Cambodian ambassador faces corruption trial

By Lauren Crothers

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia

A former Cambodian ambassador to South Korea has been detained ahead of trial after being charged with abuse of power for allegedly stashing away more than $7 million and nearly 13 kilograms of gold.

The Cambodia Daily reported Friday that the charges, which included “unlawful exploitation”, were laid against Suth Dina the previous day at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

He had earlier been questioned for three days by officials from the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU).

Dina is alleged to have deceived the public by essentially pretending to be short on cash, ACU chief Om Yentieng said.

The Daily said the charges center on the results of an ACU probe that uncovered $7.2 million and 12.7 kilograms (28 pounds) of gold.

Of note, Yentieng underlined, is the additional $3 million Dina was able to accrue over the past few years, given that he had $4.2 million to his name in 2013.

According to the Phnom Penh Post, Dina also misappropriated funds from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pay off two “unofficial” aides who helped him siphon off money meant for other official purposes.

Dina made a name for himself by warning Cambodian migrant workers that they would face arrest and deportation from South Korea if they protested the rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen -- allegations that South Korean authorities strenuously denied supporting.

Political analyst Ou Virak said there appears to be no doubt of the extent of Dina’s corruption since he was appointed to the envoy post in 2014, but added that his unpopularity is likely a driving factor in his being targeted at all.

“It’s not surprising that Dina seems to be a high-profile envoy to be charged, but he’s not very well-connected or liked by most people in the [Cambodian People’s Party] and that power base,” Virak told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

“He used to be part of this student movement based with protesters against the CPP so when he joined the CPP [in 2009], I was surprised he got promoted very quickly,” he said.

He added, however, “what’s interesting is the lack of blood connections or marriage connections to the elite, which would make him quite vulnerable.”

But Virak said widespread corruption in other areas continues relatively unchecked, particularly if it is being perpetuated by the ruling party’s well-connected elite.

Last week, the ACU announced that it would be investigating claims made in private phone calls by the deputy leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.

In those calls, which were illegally recorded and then leaked, Kem Sokha references purchasing property for a mistress.

The ACU is set to look into the whether or not the property was obtained through corrupt means.

This week, the country’s justice minister, Ang Vong Vathana, was the only Mekong-area government official named as one of the “power players” in the Panama Papers -- a trove of several million documents that exposed a number of offshore tax evasion deals.

The papers show that in May 2007, he became one of five shareholders in a company based in the British Virgin Islands.

On Friday, the Daily reported that ACU’s chairman Yentieng said it would be “possible” for the body to investigate his role further.

In last year’s Corruption Perceptions Index, Transparency International ranked Cambodia 150th out of 168 countries.