Heng Pov Defies Judge in Conspiracy Trial

Heng Pov (L) and Kim Daravuth (R) (Photo: Koh Santepheap)

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
28 March 2008

Fallen city police chief Heng Pov refused to answer questions from a municipal judge Friday, as a trial on conspiracy to murder opened against him.

Heng Pov's lawyer also refused to answer questions from Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Chhay Kong, who gave Heng Pov 18 months on illegal weapons charges in a case in 2006.

No verdict was issued at the close of Friday's trial, but one is expected soon.

Heng Pov, who rose to power as Phnom Penh's municipal police chief, had sought a change of judge ahead of the trial, claiming Chhay Kong had unjustly sentenced to prison members of his household, including a housekeeper, gardener and dog-keeper, in a previous case.

"This is the first time I have been in a hearing when the accused refused to answer the judge," said Tong Heng, a court monitor for the Center for Social Development.

Heng Pov is charged with ordering a murder attempt on Elecricite du Cambodge branch officer Kim Daravuth, who was shot in the neck and paralyzed by gunmen following a dispute over an electricity bill with the former police chief in mid-2005.

If convicted, Heng Pov faces an additional sentence of 10 years to life, added to the 40 years and six months he is already serving for other crimes, including ordering the murder of Municipal Court judge Sok Sothamony in 2003, possessing $400,000 in counterfeit bills and illegally detaining a suspect without trial.

He faces further criminal charges, including kidnapping, illegal detention and murder.

Fallen Police Chief Faces More Charges

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
27 March 2008

Jailed former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Pov is set to face Phnom Penh Muncipal Court Friday on charges of conspiracy to murder a state electric company official in 2005.

Elecricite du Cambodge branch officer Kim Daravuth was shot in the neck and paralyzed by gunmen following a dispute over an electricity bill with Heng Pov in mid-2005.

Heng Pov's lawyer, Kao Sopha, said Thursday there was no evidence linking the fallen police chief to the attempted killing.

"If we look over the legal documents by the police and the court, there is no evidence to punish Heng Pov," Kao Sopha said. "The court charges Heng Pov of conspiracy in connection with the murder, but no one confessed that Heng Pov is the one who ordered the killing. And the victim and witness haven't shown clearly who the [attempted] killers were."

"In this case, if we focus on the evidence, the court cannot punish Heng Pov," he said. "Although Heng Pov and Daravuth had a conflict, the court must find the evidence to charge Heng Pov."

Heng Pov was a powerful police official until he fled the country in 2006, when national police authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.

Heng Pov fled to Singapore and Malaysia, where he was seized by authorities and pled for asylum in a third country.

Malaysian authorities extradited Heng Pov to Cambodia in late 2006, but not before he wrote a letter accusing Prime Minister Hun Sen and National Police Chief Gen. Hok Lundy of ordering a 1997 grenade attack on Sam Rainsy Party supporters and the murder of popular singer Piseth Pilika.

He also accused both leaders of ordering the murder of Free Trade Union president Chea Vichea in 2004.

Hun Sen and Hok Lundy have denied the allegations as an asylum bid.

If convicted of ordering Kim Daravuth's shooting, Heng Pov faces an additional sentence of 10 years to life, to be added onto the 40 years and six months he is already serving for a battery of other crimes.

He has been found guilty of ordering the murder of Municipal Court judge Sok Sothamony in 2003, as well as possessing $400,000 in counterfeit bills and illegally detaining a suspect without trial.

He faces numerous additional criminal charges, including kidnapping, illegal detention, murder, and others.

Heng Pov’s hearing delayed

Left: Heng Pov taken back to jail; Right: Kim Daravuth brought to court on wheelchair (Photo: Bunnak, Koh Santepheap newspaper)
Kim Daravuth pushed by his wife to the hearing (Photo: Bunnak, Koh Santepheap newspaper)
Heng Pov awaiting the heating, Kao Sopha (L), his lawyer, is sitting next to him (Photo: Bunnak, Koh Santepheap newspaper)

Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The court case about Heng Pov shooting Kim Daravuth, the director of the EdC branch in Chak Angre and crippling him until now, was delayed by the tribunal to another time, based on the request made by Heng Pov and his lawyer. On 28 January, Heng Pov was brought to the Phnom Penh municipal court, and Kim Daravuth, the victim, was also brought in by wheelchair by his relatives. During the hearing, Heng Pov asked to delay the court decision because he just found a new defense lawyer who did not have the chance to study his case, or to meet to discuss the case with him yet. Kim Daravuth was shot on 23 November 2005, when he went to fetch his child from the Chaktokmouk school. Unknown assailants shot him and crippled him until now.

Heng Pov’s hearing to be held on 28 January

Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

After Heng Pov, the former Phnom Penh police commissioner, asked for a delay in his court hearing about the killing of a restaurant owner, because he was displeased with his usual defense lawyer, the Phnom Penh municipal court will hold a hearing on 28 January for Heng Pov, in yet a different court case. The Rasmei Kampuchea reported that the latest case involved the shooting committed by Heng Pov on Kim Daravuth, the director of the Chak Angre branch of Electricité du Cambodge (EdC), and crippling him. Rasmei Kampuchea reported that the court case on the shooting of Kim Daravuth was delayed once already when it was originally brought up in 28 August 2007, at that time, the court decided to delay the hearing to 28 January. Up until now, Heng Pov was sentenced on 4 court cases, and his jail sentence has accumulated to 40-year and 6-month. There are still a number of other pending cases that the court did not bring forth to decide yet.

Court delays hearing for former Phnom Penh police chief

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Phnom Penh Municipality Court on Monday delayed the hearing for former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Pov, who was accused of extorting and illegally detaining an owner of a restaurant in Phnom Penh when he was in power.

"Today, we would like to postpone the hearing for Heng Pov because he does not have a lawyer," said Iev Kim Sry, president of the judgment council.

This is a criminal case and he need a lawyer as necessity, Iev Kim Sry said, adding that he decided to delay the hearing a month for Heng Pov to find a lawyer.

"I need lawyers from the independent non-government organizations and want to meet them," Heng Pov said.

Until now, Heng Pov was sentenced to 40 years in jail for several other convicted crimes.

Heng Pov used to be an adviser for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and under-secretary of state for the Interior Ministry.

When it rains, it pours: 24 December - Another court hearing for Heng Pov

Saturday, December 22, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Koh Santepheap newspaper reported that on Monday 24 December, i.e. next week, the Phnom Penh municipal court will hold a hearing about the case of Heng Pov, the former police commissioner of the City of Phnom Penh, who imprisoned the owner of the Reatrey Rik Reay (Happy Evening) restaurant to demand a $300,000 ransom. Chheang Huot, the owner of the restaurant and victim, was imprisoned in 2002, and since the arrest of its owner, the restaurant, located near the former T3 prison, closed its door. Since his deportation back to Cambodia after fleeing overseas, Heng Pov was sentenced in several criminal cases, and his current sentence amounted to 40-year of jail time. In the hearing in this additional case which will take place next week, it is not known yet how many more years of jail sentence the court will hand him.