Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered lawyers to investigate a debt of 1.36 million U.S. dollars owed by the acting president of the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), local media said on Thursday.
Ministry of Finance and Economy presented Prince Norodom Chakrapong with the bill in March 2006 for unpaid taxes and fees on his now-defunct Royal Phnom Penh Airways and "he must refund it," government spokesman and Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith told the Cambodian Daily. Publish
"Hun Sen has ordered the legal team to look into (his debt)," he said.
Meanwhile, Chakrapong, former chairman of the airline, told reporters that he informed the ministry that he could not be held responsible for the debt as the airline was bankrupt.
"When my company went bankrupt, it was finished," he said, adding that he still owned two airplanes that the government was welcome to take.
The probe over Chakrapong started on Wednesday, one day after the local court sentenced NRP President Prince Norodom Ranariddh in absentia to 18 months in jail with 150,000 U.S. dollars of compensation for the co-ruling Funcinpec Party over fraud.
Tuesday's verdict would prevent Ranariddh, now overseas, 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.
Ranariddh was ousted as Funcinpec 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.
Source: Xinhua
Ministry of Finance and Economy presented Prince Norodom Chakrapong with the bill in March 2006 for unpaid taxes and fees on his now-defunct Royal Phnom Penh Airways and "he must refund it," government spokesman and Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith told the Cambodian Daily. Publish
"Hun Sen has ordered the legal team to look into (his debt)," he said.
Meanwhile, Chakrapong, former chairman of the airline, told reporters that he informed the ministry that he could not be held responsible for the debt as the airline was bankrupt.
"When my company went bankrupt, it was finished," he said, adding that he still owned two airplanes that the government was welcome to take.
The probe over Chakrapong started on Wednesday, one day after the local court sentenced NRP President Prince Norodom Ranariddh in absentia to 18 months in jail with 150,000 U.S. dollars of compensation for the co-ruling Funcinpec Party over fraud.
Tuesday's verdict would prevent Ranariddh, now overseas, 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.
Ranariddh was ousted as Funcinpec 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.
Source: Xinhua
