Who's who? Nicholas Michel (C), a representative of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan , and Michelle Lee (R), deputy director of the administration office of the Khmer Rouge tribunal watch as Sean Visoth (L), Director of the Khmer Rouge tribunal kneels down and prays, during the swearing in ceremony inside the royal palace in Phnom Penh July 3, 2006. Top Buddhist priests swore in Cambodian and foreign judges on Monday for the trials of surviving Khmer Rouge leaders accused of responsibility for the deaths of 1.7 million people. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian and foreign officials in the Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal were divided Wednesday over recent corruption allegations against the organization.
The Open Society Justice Initiative, a New York-based law group, alleged in a statement last week that Cambodian judges and other court personnel had kicked back some of their wages to Cambodian government officials in exchange for their positions on the court.
The OSJI has helped organize legal training for the tribunal's Cambodian staff in the past, according to the tribunal's Cambodian spokesman, Reach Sambath. The tribunal is being jointly run by Cambodian and U.N.-appointed staff.
Cambodian officials at the tribunal's administration office have strongly denied the OSJI's accusations.
Reach Sambath said Wednesday that Sean Visoth, the administration's Cambodian director, has decided to sever all dealings with the OSJI.
The spokesman said Sean Visoth has also sent a letter to OSJI Executive Director James A. Goldston accusing the group of being irresponsible in making the allegations.
"They released the statement without responsibility. Cooperation with an organization that shows such bad faith and bias is impossible," Reach Sambath said.
The tribunal was created by a 2003 agreement between Cambodia and the U.N. after years of difficult negotiations to bring those behind the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime to justice.
The radical policies of the now-defunct communist group, which held power in 1975-79, led to the deaths of about 1.7 million people from execution, overwork, disease and malnutrition.
Peter Foster, a U.N.-appointed tribunal spokesman, said Sean Visoth's decision was unilateral and does not keep the OSJI from having full access to the tribunal's premises and to other officials involved in the tribunal.
Foster said Michelle Lee, the U.N.-appointed deputy director of administration, has not issued any ban on OSJI.
"We still consider them a valuable partner in the process," he said.
If the OSJI's allegations turn out to have merit, "we believe they should be fully investigated," Foster said.
The corruption accusations could deal another blow to the already troubled tribunal, which is set to convene later this year after long delays.
However, there are concerns that further postponements could result from continuing disagreements between Cambodian and foreign judges on draft rules for the proceedings.
The tribunal has been set up to operate under Cambodia's judicial system, which is widely regarded as corrupt and susceptible to political influence.
