Opposition journalist fled Cambodia (2)
You Saravudh, the editor of Sralagn Khmer newspaper that supports the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, secretly left the country last night. Hun To, an unscrupulous and brutal businessman who is Prime Minister Hun Sen's nephew, has openly threatened to kill the journalist because the latter has exposed corruption involving the Prime Minister's family. Human Rights organizations in Phnom Penh has been following the case.
Bid rigging may lead to murder (2)
As reported by The Cambodia Daily on 6 July in relation to an ongoing corruption scandal ("World Bank Says Projects Will Remain Frozen"), "[Regarding procurement contracts to be awarded by a number of ministries], World Bank investigators found that limitations were placed on the distribution of bid documents to companies interested in the contracts, government officials colluded with bidders to rig bids, officials took bribes to award contracts, and other bidders were coerced by government officials to withdraw their bids." Moreover, the government recognizes that the scandal is associated with an assassination attempt, possibly because some people involved in irregularities wanted to silence a key witness. This is reminiscent of a corruption case related to the National Assembly in 2005, when a bidder named Kim Kheang was effectively coerced to withdraw his bid and, because of his refusal to do so, was eventually murdered (see KI, 30 March 2005: "Reasons for the killing of a witness"; KI, 20 February 2005: "Witness against Ranariddh might have been poisoned").
30 March 2005
Reasons for the killing of a witness (2)
In connection with a potential scandal related to the overpricing of the National Assembly's new premises now under construction (see KI, 26 March 2005: "L'Express exposes Ranariddh's corruption"), a businessman named Kim Kheang died last month under mysterious circumstances (see KI, 20 February 2005: "Witness against Ranariddh might have been poisoned"). According to a 22 March 2005 document submitted to the tribunal by lawyer Som Chandyna who has gathered a series of documents related to the case, the death of Kim Kheang might be explained by the following facts:
1- On 6 June 2002, out of 20 companies which had submitted a proposal for the construction of the Assembly's premises, Giang Shi Trading & Construction led by Kim Kheang first won the contract and obtained a Letter of Acceptance, with an Australian company named 5 Golden Stars as partner. Giang Shi Trading & Construction would be paid $19.7 million by the Cambodian government over a period of 10 years, but it was asked to immediately deposit $1 million.
2- On 4 September 2002, the Assembly asked Kim Kheang's company to submit a new bid and raised the required deposit to $3.5 million. The Letter of Acceptance was downgraded to Letter of Intent. This abrupt change led Kim Kheang to issue a complaint.
3- On 8 November 2002, the Assembly also delivered a Letter of Intent to 5 Golden Stars.
4- On 17 September 2002, the Assembly surprisingly granted the construction contract to another company (a newcomer based in Thailand) named Insucon & Service for a cost of $25 million, while the required deposit was reduced to $1 million.
5- Because it needed a partner, Insucon & Service decided to join hands with 5 Golden Stars, therefore indirectly involving also Kim Kheang's Giang Shi Trading & Construction in the project. On 28 April 2003, the new consortium confirmed in writing that the construction cost of the new Assembly would amount to (only) $13 million.
6- On 10 January 2003, the Assembly suddenly awarded the construction contract to a fourth company named Ly Chhuong, which had been eliminated at the 6 June 2002 public bidding. The official cost was finally raised to $26.7 million. On top of this inflated cost, Ly Chhuong will not have to make any deposit; on the contrary, it will receive a prepayment from the government of $11 million (!). Finally, the Assembly promises to pay Ly Chhuong the total amount due over a period of 6 years, instead of 10 years as previously decided for Kim Kheang's company.
The Assembly made its successive decisions as described above in an arbitrarily and inconsistent manner, without informing all the concerned companies involved in the competition.
Kim Kheang apparently knew too much about the corrupt deals that were made in secret to finally eliminate him and his partners from the competition. He had obviously become an embarrassing witness. He was to testify before the tribunal against Assembly President Norodom Ranariddh on 17 February 2005. He died 10 days before the day he was due to appear in Court.
See full text of the Court document in Khmer by clicking at http://tinyurl.com/rwtls
20 February 2005
Witness against Ranariddh might have been poisoned (2)
According to latest press reports (Cambodia Daily, 18 February 2005: "One Sam Rainsy Witness Dies, Another Goes Missing"), a key witness for an important lawsuit exposing government corruption died earlier this month in mysterious circumstances. « One of four witnesses scheduled to give evidence in a lawsuit filed by opposition leader Sam Rainsy against National Assembly President Norodom Ranariddh has died, and a second witness cannot be located, a lawyer said Thursday [Feb 17]. Kim Kheang, manager of the Yang Sy construction, was scheduled to appear at Phnom Penh Municipal Court to give testimony supporting Sam Rainsy's claim of corruption related to the construction of a new multimillion dollar Assembly building. Kim Kheang, who was about 40 years old, died Feb 7 [reportedly] from illness following a night of drinking (...). A second witness, Nuon Sampha, a representative of the Golden Star investment company, was due to appear in Court on Thursday [Feb 17] afternoon but has apparently "disappeared" (...). A Thai [citizen] and an Australian national have also been called as witnesses [but their willingness to testify before the Court is now uncertain] (...). Kim Kheang's family could not be contacted Thursday [Feb 17]. »
Khmer Intelligence has collected the following information from Kim Kheang's family (some of them are living in the USA) and former colleagues and friends:
- Kim Kheang's company's exact name is "Giang Shi Trading & Construction Co. Ltd".
- Kim Kheang had over the last two years met with and/or written to opposition lawmakers Sam Rainsy and Son Chhay complaining about corruption in the award of the construction contract related to the National Assembly's new building. The $27-million contract was awarded to Ly Chhuong Construction & Import/Export Co., a little-known company with personal links to National Assembly's leaders, while Kim Kheang's Giang Shi Trading & Construction Co., in collaboration with a group of Thai and Australian partners, had offered to erect the same building with exactly the same specifications for only $13 million.
- Kim Kheang was 48 years old. He was a sober man who did not smoke nor drink, and was in very good health.
- The day of his death (Feb 7), a group a people his family knew little about, invited him to "dine out". - He came back the same night feeling very sick. - He was transported to Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital but doctors there refused to admit him, saying his condition was "desperate".
- He died the same night. His tongue and nails had become black. - Under pressure from unspecified authorities, his family decided to cremate his body the following morning (without any forensic being performed).
For further information about the ongoing corruption lawsuit against Prince Ranariddh, see previous news from Khmer Intelligence at the following dates with the following headlines:
- 16 August 2004: "Assembly officials share a $15-million commission".
- 07 September 2004: "Evidence of corruption at the National Assembly".
- 16 October 2004: "A strange clause in the National Assembly construction contract".
- 22 October 2004: "Prince Ranariddh fears corruption lawsuits".
- 18 December 2004: "Basis for comparison to assess a corruption case involving Ranariddh".
- 04 February 2005: "$25,000 to Ranariddh in exchange for $14,000,000 to the nation". See the above-mentioned Cambodia Daily's article by clicking at http://tinyurl.com/f8pn2
[End]
Bid rigging may lead to murder (2)
As reported by The Cambodia Daily on 6 July in relation to an ongoing corruption scandal ("World Bank Says Projects Will Remain Frozen"), "[Regarding procurement contracts to be awarded by a number of ministries], World Bank investigators found that limitations were placed on the distribution of bid documents to companies interested in the contracts, government officials colluded with bidders to rig bids, officials took bribes to award contracts, and other bidders were coerced by government officials to withdraw their bids." Moreover, the government recognizes that the scandal is associated with an assassination attempt, possibly because some people involved in irregularities wanted to silence a key witness. This is reminiscent of a corruption case related to the National Assembly in 2005, when a bidder named Kim Kheang was effectively coerced to withdraw his bid and, because of his refusal to do so, was eventually murdered (see KI, 30 March 2005: "Reasons for the killing of a witness"; KI, 20 February 2005: "Witness against Ranariddh might have been poisoned").
30 March 2005
Reasons for the killing of a witness (2)
In connection with a potential scandal related to the overpricing of the National Assembly's new premises now under construction (see KI, 26 March 2005: "L'Express exposes Ranariddh's corruption"), a businessman named Kim Kheang died last month under mysterious circumstances (see KI, 20 February 2005: "Witness against Ranariddh might have been poisoned"). According to a 22 March 2005 document submitted to the tribunal by lawyer Som Chandyna who has gathered a series of documents related to the case, the death of Kim Kheang might be explained by the following facts:
1- On 6 June 2002, out of 20 companies which had submitted a proposal for the construction of the Assembly's premises, Giang Shi Trading & Construction led by Kim Kheang first won the contract and obtained a Letter of Acceptance, with an Australian company named 5 Golden Stars as partner. Giang Shi Trading & Construction would be paid $19.7 million by the Cambodian government over a period of 10 years, but it was asked to immediately deposit $1 million.
2- On 4 September 2002, the Assembly asked Kim Kheang's company to submit a new bid and raised the required deposit to $3.5 million. The Letter of Acceptance was downgraded to Letter of Intent. This abrupt change led Kim Kheang to issue a complaint.
3- On 8 November 2002, the Assembly also delivered a Letter of Intent to 5 Golden Stars.
4- On 17 September 2002, the Assembly surprisingly granted the construction contract to another company (a newcomer based in Thailand) named Insucon & Service for a cost of $25 million, while the required deposit was reduced to $1 million.
5- Because it needed a partner, Insucon & Service decided to join hands with 5 Golden Stars, therefore indirectly involving also Kim Kheang's Giang Shi Trading & Construction in the project. On 28 April 2003, the new consortium confirmed in writing that the construction cost of the new Assembly would amount to (only) $13 million.
6- On 10 January 2003, the Assembly suddenly awarded the construction contract to a fourth company named Ly Chhuong, which had been eliminated at the 6 June 2002 public bidding. The official cost was finally raised to $26.7 million. On top of this inflated cost, Ly Chhuong will not have to make any deposit; on the contrary, it will receive a prepayment from the government of $11 million (!). Finally, the Assembly promises to pay Ly Chhuong the total amount due over a period of 6 years, instead of 10 years as previously decided for Kim Kheang's company.
The Assembly made its successive decisions as described above in an arbitrarily and inconsistent manner, without informing all the concerned companies involved in the competition.
Kim Kheang apparently knew too much about the corrupt deals that were made in secret to finally eliminate him and his partners from the competition. He had obviously become an embarrassing witness. He was to testify before the tribunal against Assembly President Norodom Ranariddh on 17 February 2005. He died 10 days before the day he was due to appear in Court.
See full text of the Court document in Khmer by clicking at http://tinyurl.com/rwtls
20 February 2005
Witness against Ranariddh might have been poisoned (2)
According to latest press reports (Cambodia Daily, 18 February 2005: "One Sam Rainsy Witness Dies, Another Goes Missing"), a key witness for an important lawsuit exposing government corruption died earlier this month in mysterious circumstances. « One of four witnesses scheduled to give evidence in a lawsuit filed by opposition leader Sam Rainsy against National Assembly President Norodom Ranariddh has died, and a second witness cannot be located, a lawyer said Thursday [Feb 17]. Kim Kheang, manager of the Yang Sy construction, was scheduled to appear at Phnom Penh Municipal Court to give testimony supporting Sam Rainsy's claim of corruption related to the construction of a new multimillion dollar Assembly building. Kim Kheang, who was about 40 years old, died Feb 7 [reportedly] from illness following a night of drinking (...). A second witness, Nuon Sampha, a representative of the Golden Star investment company, was due to appear in Court on Thursday [Feb 17] afternoon but has apparently "disappeared" (...). A Thai [citizen] and an Australian national have also been called as witnesses [but their willingness to testify before the Court is now uncertain] (...). Kim Kheang's family could not be contacted Thursday [Feb 17]. »
Khmer Intelligence has collected the following information from Kim Kheang's family (some of them are living in the USA) and former colleagues and friends:
- Kim Kheang's company's exact name is "Giang Shi Trading & Construction Co. Ltd".
- Kim Kheang had over the last two years met with and/or written to opposition lawmakers Sam Rainsy and Son Chhay complaining about corruption in the award of the construction contract related to the National Assembly's new building. The $27-million contract was awarded to Ly Chhuong Construction & Import/Export Co., a little-known company with personal links to National Assembly's leaders, while Kim Kheang's Giang Shi Trading & Construction Co., in collaboration with a group of Thai and Australian partners, had offered to erect the same building with exactly the same specifications for only $13 million.
- Kim Kheang was 48 years old. He was a sober man who did not smoke nor drink, and was in very good health.
- The day of his death (Feb 7), a group a people his family knew little about, invited him to "dine out". - He came back the same night feeling very sick. - He was transported to Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital but doctors there refused to admit him, saying his condition was "desperate".
- He died the same night. His tongue and nails had become black. - Under pressure from unspecified authorities, his family decided to cremate his body the following morning (without any forensic being performed).
For further information about the ongoing corruption lawsuit against Prince Ranariddh, see previous news from Khmer Intelligence at the following dates with the following headlines:
- 16 August 2004: "Assembly officials share a $15-million commission".
- 07 September 2004: "Evidence of corruption at the National Assembly".
- 16 October 2004: "A strange clause in the National Assembly construction contract".
- 22 October 2004: "Prince Ranariddh fears corruption lawsuits".
- 18 December 2004: "Basis for comparison to assess a corruption case involving Ranariddh".
- 04 February 2005: "$25,000 to Ranariddh in exchange for $14,000,000 to the nation". See the above-mentioned Cambodia Daily's article by clicking at http://tinyurl.com/f8pn2
[End]
1 comment:
i advice this group not to use the word opposition journalist or opposition party...these not a good words for politic or name of the programs..in khmer these words mean very strong, sound like youo are from the outside world..you should use like freedom fight, freedom party, or khmer oparty..some thing else but..the word opposition...from for khmer and they don't wanted to hear that ..just scare them away...eeyore!!
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