First Prime Minister of the kingdom's maiden government, President of the National Assembly for two terms, and President of the co-ruling Funcinpec Party for more than 10 years, all the glory was combined into one person, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who, however, was sentenced in absentia on Tuesday to 18 months in jail.
Together with the imprisonment, the son of former king Norodom Sihanouk was also ordered to compensate 150,000 U.S. dollars to Funcinpec, who ousted him in October 2006 and then filed a lawsuit to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to accuse him of pocketing 3.6 million U.S. dollars from selling the party's headquarters.
Presiding Judge Sao Meach declared on Tuesday that the court found the prince guilty of breach of trust in selling Funcinpec's old headquarters and later putting the land of the new headquarters under his own title.
He must return the land to Funcinpec, he added.
The prince, now in Malaysia, has denied the accusation and refused for the third time to return home for the trial, insisting that the court is "biased" and the trial is "politically motivated. "
Spokesman for the prince's Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) told reporters outside the court that the sentence was unacceptable, the trial was unjust, and they intended to prevent the prince from coming back to the kingdom to join the ongoing commune councils election.
They intended to ruin the prince's career and didn't want NRP to become a political power, he added.
Tuesday's verdict would prevent Ranariddh from running for public office in Cambodia unless he serves at least two-thirds of his jail term or receives a pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni, his half brother.
Moung Araun, co-lawyer for the prince, told reporters that "we know the court is biased over this case" and the prince would not appeal the verdict because it was not likely to get a fair hearing in a higher court.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said here on Saturday that he won't write a letter to King Sihamoni to ask for pardon of Ranariddh over his corruption charges.
"I will not write a letter to King for amnesty (of Ranariddh), if the Phnom Penh (Municipal) Court finds (him) guilty of breach of trust for allegedly selling the Funcinpec Party's headquarters (and having the money to himself). From today, I stop (writing letters to King for pardon) and we want people to be equal in courts," he told about 2,000 students, diplomats and government officials at the graduation ceremony of the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
He used to write letters to King to ask for pardon of Ranariddh over his past wrongdoing like illegally importing spare parts of weapons and conducting coup in 1997, for which he should have been sentenced to jail, he said.
"But this time there is no way. Let him serve the punishment from the court first," he added.
The prince is also facing an adultery lawsuit lodged against him by his estranged wife, Norodom Marie Ranariddh. He will face up to a year in prison and fines up to 245 U.S. dollars if convicted.
The current embarrassment was a blatant contrast to the prince's previous glory.
Ranariddh started to preside Funcinpec in 1992 and was ousted as president in October 2006, for neglecting party affairs and being unable to cooperate with Hun Sen. He then turned to establish NRP, whose members are currently joining the commune councils election.
The prince became President of the National Assembly in 1998, re-appointed in 2003, but resigned in March 2006 to protest against the political steps adopted by the ruling Cambodian People 's Party.
In 1993, he became First Prime Minister of the first ever government of the kingdom, but lost his power during a military coup in 1997.
Source: Xinhua
Together with the imprisonment, the son of former king Norodom Sihanouk was also ordered to compensate 150,000 U.S. dollars to Funcinpec, who ousted him in October 2006 and then filed a lawsuit to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to accuse him of pocketing 3.6 million U.S. dollars from selling the party's headquarters.
Presiding Judge Sao Meach declared on Tuesday that the court found the prince guilty of breach of trust in selling Funcinpec's old headquarters and later putting the land of the new headquarters under his own title.
He must return the land to Funcinpec, he added.
The prince, now in Malaysia, has denied the accusation and refused for the third time to return home for the trial, insisting that the court is "biased" and the trial is "politically motivated. "
Spokesman for the prince's Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) told reporters outside the court that the sentence was unacceptable, the trial was unjust, and they intended to prevent the prince from coming back to the kingdom to join the ongoing commune councils election.
They intended to ruin the prince's career and didn't want NRP to become a political power, he added.
Tuesday's verdict would prevent Ranariddh from running for public office in Cambodia unless he serves at least two-thirds of his jail term or receives a pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni, his half brother.
Moung Araun, co-lawyer for the prince, told reporters that "we know the court is biased over this case" and the prince would not appeal the verdict because it was not likely to get a fair hearing in a higher court.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said here on Saturday that he won't write a letter to King Sihamoni to ask for pardon of Ranariddh over his corruption charges.
"I will not write a letter to King for amnesty (of Ranariddh), if the Phnom Penh (Municipal) Court finds (him) guilty of breach of trust for allegedly selling the Funcinpec Party's headquarters (and having the money to himself). From today, I stop (writing letters to King for pardon) and we want people to be equal in courts," he told about 2,000 students, diplomats and government officials at the graduation ceremony of the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
He used to write letters to King to ask for pardon of Ranariddh over his past wrongdoing like illegally importing spare parts of weapons and conducting coup in 1997, for which he should have been sentenced to jail, he said.
"But this time there is no way. Let him serve the punishment from the court first," he added.
The prince is also facing an adultery lawsuit lodged against him by his estranged wife, Norodom Marie Ranariddh. He will face up to a year in prison and fines up to 245 U.S. dollars if convicted.
The current embarrassment was a blatant contrast to the prince's previous glory.
Ranariddh started to preside Funcinpec in 1992 and was ousted as president in October 2006, for neglecting party affairs and being unable to cooperate with Hun Sen. He then turned to establish NRP, whose members are currently joining the commune councils election.
The prince became President of the National Assembly in 1998, re-appointed in 2003, but resigned in March 2006 to protest against the political steps adopted by the ruling Cambodian People 's Party.
In 1993, he became First Prime Minister of the first ever government of the kingdom, but lost his power during a military coup in 1997.
Source: Xinhua
2 comments:
Thank PP Court for Rght decsion+fair+ Justice(for Ranarith Case only..
Cheyyo
1 ha 3 tons
Thought that his Permnament Position when Ranariddh and His lousy Father created back in the early 90`s would allow him to do anything...HAHAHAHA
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