By Douglas Gillison and Pin Sisovann
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Criminal charges may be filed against Malaysian authorities who were involved in last week's swift deportation of former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Pov to Cambodia, a Malaysian lawyer said Tuesday.
Although Heng Pov is now in a Cambodian prison, the Malaysian lawyers he had retained continue to act on his behalf and are trying to have Malaysian parliamentarians question Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi about the deportation, Ahmad Shukor said by telephone from Kuala Lumpur.
"If it gathers enough momentum, it could be the beginning of a scandal," he said.
In the next two weeks, Malaysian police could decide to act on the bribery accusations made by Heng Pov's wife Ngin Sotheavy in a police report she filed Thursday, he added.
Judges in Malaysia's highest court expressed shock when immigration authorities announced Thursday that they had deported Heng Pov to Cambodia before his final appeal against deportation could be heard.
The Malaysian authorities' actions drew condemnation from international human rights groups.
Ngin Sotheavy has accused Ishak Haji Mohamed, enforcement director at the Malaysian Immigration Department, and Mohd Hanafiah bin Zakaria, prosecution deputy head in the Attorney General's Chambers, of colluding with Cambodian authorities in the deportation, Heng Pov's lawyer N Sivananthan said following the deportation.
"We want the police to investigate whether there were elements of corruption and we want the police to look at whether there was abuse of process," Ahmad Shukor said.
The Malaysian Embassy in Phnom Penh continued its silence over the Heng Pov controversy on Tuesday.
Interior Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak reiterated government denials that anything irregular occurred in the deportation.
Malaysian law provides for fines of 10 times the value of bribes paid as well as jail time, Ahmad Shukor said, adding that criminal sanctions might allow Heng Pov or his wife to sue for compensation.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Investigating Judge Kim Ravy said that the court will wait until Heng Pov has a defense lawyer before proceeding with prosecution on six outstanding charges against him.
The charges include murder, two counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal confinement and illegal weapons possession, Kim Ravy said.
Heng Pov is currently serving 18 years in prison for killing a court judge in 2003.
"If he cannot get a lawyer we can help him," Kim Ravy added.
Judge Ke Sakhorn said trial dates had not been fixed for the additional charges against Heng Pov but, he added, "It won’t be long."
Although Heng Pov is now in a Cambodian prison, the Malaysian lawyers he had retained continue to act on his behalf and are trying to have Malaysian parliamentarians question Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi about the deportation, Ahmad Shukor said by telephone from Kuala Lumpur.
"If it gathers enough momentum, it could be the beginning of a scandal," he said.
In the next two weeks, Malaysian police could decide to act on the bribery accusations made by Heng Pov's wife Ngin Sotheavy in a police report she filed Thursday, he added.
Judges in Malaysia's highest court expressed shock when immigration authorities announced Thursday that they had deported Heng Pov to Cambodia before his final appeal against deportation could be heard.
The Malaysian authorities' actions drew condemnation from international human rights groups.
Ngin Sotheavy has accused Ishak Haji Mohamed, enforcement director at the Malaysian Immigration Department, and Mohd Hanafiah bin Zakaria, prosecution deputy head in the Attorney General's Chambers, of colluding with Cambodian authorities in the deportation, Heng Pov's lawyer N Sivananthan said following the deportation.
"We want the police to investigate whether there were elements of corruption and we want the police to look at whether there was abuse of process," Ahmad Shukor said.
The Malaysian Embassy in Phnom Penh continued its silence over the Heng Pov controversy on Tuesday.
Interior Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak reiterated government denials that anything irregular occurred in the deportation.
Malaysian law provides for fines of 10 times the value of bribes paid as well as jail time, Ahmad Shukor said, adding that criminal sanctions might allow Heng Pov or his wife to sue for compensation.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Investigating Judge Kim Ravy said that the court will wait until Heng Pov has a defense lawyer before proceeding with prosecution on six outstanding charges against him.
The charges include murder, two counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal confinement and illegal weapons possession, Kim Ravy said.
Heng Pov is currently serving 18 years in prison for killing a court judge in 2003.
"If he cannot get a lawyer we can help him," Kim Ravy added.
Judge Ke Sakhorn said trial dates had not been fixed for the additional charges against Heng Pov but, he added, "It won’t be long."
3 comments:
Oh com' on. That's crap. Just to make them look good, eh? The Malaysia is working with CPP/Vietnam to torture the innocence Khmer people in Cambodia.
All the Malaysia cares is money in their pockets, not about who are sufferings by the hand of Hun Sen and his thugs. I wonder if Allah told them to do so.
The law suit my file to find out the truth. It is only the truth that we know who is the bad guy(s). It is another chance to prove the world that there were something fishy about the Malaysian court and the Cambodian gov't. We must file the law suit. We cannot let this one slide by... We are the human rights defenders against those evils!
"Anonymous said...
The law suit my file to find out the truth. It is only the truth that we know who is the bad guy(s). It is another chance to prove the world that there were something fishy about the Malaysian court and the Cambodian gov't. We must file the law suit. We cannot let this one slide by... We are the human rights defenders against those evils! "
The true is the bad guys and powerful will go free.
Malaysia is the 1st country who sent the best witness who could help million Cambodians to find justice to die in the hand of the supreme thugs. Malaysia is the country of Muslims. Do Muslims believe that killing human lives will help them to meet Allah?? They do in Iraq everyday with the suicide bombs, don't they?
Now tell the whole world how are you going to find out? The private Jet and of course the money already deposited in some others' names bank accounts, then sent back the most important witness of Cambodian people to die. This is not only SICK but it is not suited for human beings to discard human life the way Malaysia does.
Allah is great then the next Tsunamie will swallow Malaysia for the greatest Sins hurting million Cambodian people.
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