Cambodia justice questioned
Wellington (dpa) - New Zealand has protested to Cambodia after a secret court hearing confirmed a 20-year prison sentence on one of its citizens who was not allowed to attend his own appeal, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Saturday.
Graham Cleghorn, 55, who was jailed two years ago on sex charges, claims the five Cambodian teenagers who alleged he raped them have signed statements retracting their evidence.
The ministry said Cleghorn's appeal against his conviction was dismissed at a secret hearing in Siem Reap last month with neither he nor his lawyer present and no opportunity to present the women's statements.
New Zealand's ambassador to Phnom Penh, Peter Rider, who is based in Bangkok, met a Cambodian embassy representative last week to express "grave concerns" about the development.
The spokeswoman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa the ambassador asked for an explanation as to why Cleghorn, his lawyer and New Zealand officials were not informed about the appeal.
"It was emphasised that this had denied Mr Cleghorn the opportunity to present a case which breached his right to a fair hearing," she said.
She said New Zealand was awaiting a response from Cambodia.
Wellington's Dominion Post quoted New Zealand lawyer Greg King, who is acting for Cleghorn, as saying the appeal was "a breach of fundamental natural justice in every sense."
The paper said an excerpt from one of the teenagers' statements said, "I swear on oath to help the foreigner Mr Graham that he has never touched my body."
Cleghorn is said to have been in Cambodia since the late 1980s and has a Cambodian wife and 6-year-old child.
Wellington (dpa) - New Zealand has protested to Cambodia after a secret court hearing confirmed a 20-year prison sentence on one of its citizens who was not allowed to attend his own appeal, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Saturday.
Graham Cleghorn, 55, who was jailed two years ago on sex charges, claims the five Cambodian teenagers who alleged he raped them have signed statements retracting their evidence.
The ministry said Cleghorn's appeal against his conviction was dismissed at a secret hearing in Siem Reap last month with neither he nor his lawyer present and no opportunity to present the women's statements.
New Zealand's ambassador to Phnom Penh, Peter Rider, who is based in Bangkok, met a Cambodian embassy representative last week to express "grave concerns" about the development.
The spokeswoman told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa the ambassador asked for an explanation as to why Cleghorn, his lawyer and New Zealand officials were not informed about the appeal.
"It was emphasised that this had denied Mr Cleghorn the opportunity to present a case which breached his right to a fair hearing," she said.
She said New Zealand was awaiting a response from Cambodia.
Wellington's Dominion Post quoted New Zealand lawyer Greg King, who is acting for Cleghorn, as saying the appeal was "a breach of fundamental natural justice in every sense."
The paper said an excerpt from one of the teenagers' statements said, "I swear on oath to help the foreigner Mr Graham that he has never touched my body."
Cleghorn is said to have been in Cambodia since the late 1980s and has a Cambodian wife and 6-year-old child.
1 comment:
For your information, the girls' retractions are at www.ectopia.org. The admit being bribed and coerced by the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre run by Tan Senara, sister of corrupt judge Tan Senarong, who was the judge in the case. The Tans wanted Cleghorn's land, just as they wanted Clint Betterridge's insurance payout. That is why BOTH men are in jail now...they would not succumb to blackmail, or as you put it so well, the law of the jungle.
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