PHNOM PENH (AFP) — A Cambodian court Wednesday upheld ousted royalist leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh's 18-month jail sentence over the illegal sale of his former political party's headquarters.Ranariddh, who remains in self-imposed exile, was convicted of fraud in March after he used the proceeds from the sale to purchase another property in his name.
"The appeal court found enough evidence of guilt against Prince Norodom Ranariddh for breach of trust," said appeal court Judge Thou Mony.
An official from the Prince's new political party said the verdict was politically motivated.
"It is unjust for the Prince ...It is the objective of someone to prevent the Prince from entering the country," said You Hokry, general secretary of the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP).
NRP officials fear that Ranariddh will not return to Cambodia, where he faces immediate arrest, in time to contest general elections in 2008.
Ranariddh, who was sacked as president of the royalist Funcinpec party last October, has remained overseas since being sentenced in March to jail over the 3.6-million-dollar real estate deal.
The conviction was another blow against the embattled prince, a former premier who for years had been Prime Minister Hun Sen's coalition government partner.
Following his ouster from Funcinpec, the prince's former party allies shunned him and an adultery complaint filed by his wife further battered his reputation.
Ranariddh has faced jail before but was saved by a royal pardon from his father, former king Norodom Sihanouk, in 1998 after being sentenced to 35 years in prison for allegedly plotting a coup with the Khmer Rouge a year earlier.
6 comments:
hen sen should be jailed also just for overthrowing prince ranaridh.
its not fair to accused someone of something and not hun sen himself
Good luck Ranaridh!! Now it is your turn. You had cooperated with Hun Sen to destroy Sam Rainsy's party and its president. Now the same court you have used to intimidated the opposition is turn back to you. Time to go to jail or self exil abroad it is up to you to decide. Don't dream for the chance to be back for the prime minister's post in 2008.
Who said Cambodia royal family are above LAW????????????????????
Hell mate, go to hell! you deserve it. You will regret not to spend all millons USD in singapore bank. Your your wife you pick up your brother when you die.
Don't blame this guy too much he came from a bad gene of his Papa.
I wish that is true, but really, the macho PhD idiot never listen to his Papa; that is why he's in deep shit.
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