By Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Sixteen former employees of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights issued a statement Tuesday accusing CCHR President Kem Sokha of corruption and nepotism, a representative of the group said Tuesday.
Kem Sokha denied the allegations by the so-called "Commission for Seeking the Truth of Staff Within CCHR," and said the group is out to destroy his organization and its motives may be political.
All 16 members lost their jobs at CCHR in recent months due to a lack of funding, Kem Sokha said.
Head of the group, Nhem Vanthorn, said he plans to lodge a complaint against Kem Sokha at Phnom Penh Municipal Court. He denied he was working for a political party.
"I am only against the individual, we will help the center to survive," he maintained.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the commission claimed that Kem Sokha has renewed contracts for his relatives and loyalists employed by CCHR, but terminated the employment of competent staff who he did not believe were loyal.
Six of 69 staff at CCHR are related to Kem Sokha, the group alleged.
Kem Sokha said the former staffers are disgruntled because they lost their jobs.
"These people have an agenda to destroy my center," he said, adding that some of his relatives are on the CCHR payroll.
"They are qualified, they have only small positions," he said, adding that he has not given his relatives an unfair advantage.
The International Republican Party funds CCHR.
The US Embassy said the former CCHR staffers have provided no evidence of wrongdoing but their report has been forwarded to CCHR’s independent auditor.
"If the auditor discovers malfeasance with CCHR's finances, the US government will investigate the matter further," US Embassy spokesman Jeff Daigle wrote in an e-mail
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Deputy Prosecutor Ngeth Sarath said the court must accept any lawsuit filed there and the prosecutor would decide whether to bring charges.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has in the past voiced staunch opposition to public forums organized by the CCHR, where members of the public are encouraged to air their grievances about the government.
In January, Kem Sokha was charged with defamation and jailed over a banner critical of the government that appeared at a human rights event in Phnom Penh. He was released later that month after intense international criticism.
Kem Sokha denied the allegations by the so-called "Commission for Seeking the Truth of Staff Within CCHR," and said the group is out to destroy his organization and its motives may be political.
All 16 members lost their jobs at CCHR in recent months due to a lack of funding, Kem Sokha said.
Head of the group, Nhem Vanthorn, said he plans to lodge a complaint against Kem Sokha at Phnom Penh Municipal Court. He denied he was working for a political party.
"I am only against the individual, we will help the center to survive," he maintained.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the commission claimed that Kem Sokha has renewed contracts for his relatives and loyalists employed by CCHR, but terminated the employment of competent staff who he did not believe were loyal.
Six of 69 staff at CCHR are related to Kem Sokha, the group alleged.
Kem Sokha said the former staffers are disgruntled because they lost their jobs.
"These people have an agenda to destroy my center," he said, adding that some of his relatives are on the CCHR payroll.
"They are qualified, they have only small positions," he said, adding that he has not given his relatives an unfair advantage.
The International Republican Party funds CCHR.
The US Embassy said the former CCHR staffers have provided no evidence of wrongdoing but their report has been forwarded to CCHR’s independent auditor.
"If the auditor discovers malfeasance with CCHR's finances, the US government will investigate the matter further," US Embassy spokesman Jeff Daigle wrote in an e-mail
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Deputy Prosecutor Ngeth Sarath said the court must accept any lawsuit filed there and the prosecutor would decide whether to bring charges.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has in the past voiced staunch opposition to public forums organized by the CCHR, where members of the public are encouraged to air their grievances about the government.
In January, Kem Sokha was charged with defamation and jailed over a banner critical of the government that appeared at a human rights event in Phnom Penh. He was released later that month after intense international criticism.
10 comments:
i'm just surprised that he only employs six members of his family.
ha ha. i guess the trucks for their Black Box anti-corruption campaign won't have to go too far. . .
If the CPP officials employed their incompetent relatives in key positions nobody is going to complain about it, even if he or she is dismissed or downgraded. And, if someone has the courage and officially lodge the complaint the courts will not be so quick to consider the lawsuit that is not expected to succeed.
Nepotism is rife in the Cambodian society. However, if the organisation concerned is regularly subject to independent auditing on its finance, operations and employment policies its credibility will remain untarnished. If there is no specific clause in the employment policies banning the hiring of one's relatives, somebody in charge of that organisation will be able to hire his or her relatives. When it comes to making staff redundant due to the lack of fund I certainly know who are going to go first. Blood is thicker than water. So, if my relatives are competent why should I dismiss them first? We are not living in a perfect world, and office politics exist everywhere even if we are doing things by the book.
let the funder decide and check!
No law say not to employ your relative if he is able!
6% is small and aceptable id the relative do the job.
It is too early to speculate about the issue. But since it is involving with the interest of the Khmer and Khmer nation, it is not too early to peck on the issue either. The investigation is still pending.
However, if it is true, like the old saying, "Yuol Nheat Khleat Chbap".
CORRUPTION!!!!
IT'S NOT GOING TO GO ANYWHERE. IT IS LIKE YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED WITH YOUR OWN BLOOD. YOUR OFFSPRINGS WOULD BORN WITH MR, BECOMING DUMBER AND DUMBER.
Somlor Ma-Chou Yuon Leay Cho Thit
kem sokha is corrupt.
A person is still innocent until proven guilty. However, with the corrupt judicial system in Cambodia the not-guilty verdict will be given to those who have the powerful connection or can afford a substantial bribe. Let the donors judge for themselves. It is their money, which is not owned by the Cambodian courts, or Kem Sokha, or the dismissed staff.
Me are questionally pondering of these 16 Khmers, who have just losing their job, Why were they not file complaint before laying off? Why after? Like 3:00 PM has precisely mentioned, if the donors justically found out Kem Sokha's corruption themselve, not Samdech Hun Sen and his CPP's party! We are acknowledgably knew very well that these dogs are intentionally wanted to destroy all the anti-CPP!
I agree with you, 11:57pm.
I heard that the reporter misquoted Kem Sokha and he asked them to correct it. He did not make those statements. They fabricated his statement. Come on, it doesnt make sense that he publicly said he hires his own relaltives!
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