A Cambodian general was arrested amid allegations of involvement in a high-profile court corruption case, news reports said Friday.
Brigadier General Pech Prum Mony, a deputy chief of staff, was arrested late Thursday, a spokesman for the military police was quoted as saying by the Cambodia Daily.
Formally he was “accused of obstructing the work of public officials,” Brigadier Kheng Tito said.
He was also said to be the facilitator and right-hand man of the former president of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court director Ang Mealaktei, dismissed amid allegations of corruption this week, the Phnom Peng Post reported, citing court officials celebrating his departure Wednesday.
Mealaktei was reportedly involved in a range of graft cases, the Post report said.
The current scandal centres around the murder case against Thong Sarath, a major general in the army and wealthy property developer, wanted for gunning down a business rival in November.
Sarath is on the run, but authorities detained his parents in December on charges of illegal possession of weapons.
They were released on bail that month, and later caught trying to flee to Vietnam and re-arrested.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that the decision to grant them bail may have been influenced by a 5-million-dollar bribe.
Tito confirmed that Mony’s arrest was linked to the handling of Sarath’s parents’ case, the Cambodia Daily reported.
Malaktei was moved to a post in the Ministry of Justice.
GNA
