F'pec Worried It Will Be Blamed for Bank Scandal
By Prak Chan Thul and Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
A Funcinpec spokesman expressed concern Thursday that the CPP will pin more corruption charges on royalist officials following the arrest this week of a party member implicated in the multimillion-dollar World Bank funds scandal.
Funcinpec Minister of Rural Development Lu Laysreng said that Mour Kimsan, a ministry project manager and Funcinpec official, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with embezzling $840,000 from a bank-funded rural roads project.
"If fhe CPP arrests only Funcinpec party officials, it means that the CPP is not complying with the [coalition] agreement," said Ok Socheat public affairs adviser to Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
Ok Socheat said he received reports that the Phnom Penh Municipal Court has asked the National Assembly to strip some Funcinpec ministers of their parliamentaty immunity in connection with the World Bank's corruption findings.
Funcinpec is closely watching to see whether Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling CPP will arrest officials based on evidence or based on politics, he said.
CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said he was unaware of any request to strip the immunity of Funcinpec lawmakers.
Phnom Penh Court Investigating Judge Chiv Keng and prosecutor Ouk Savouth could not be reached for comment.
Lu Laysreng said he had no knowledge of the alleged embezzlement by his subordinate Mour Kimsan, but he said it is common in Cambodia for low-level officials to fix the bidding process.
Other officials responsible for projects in which the World Bank found problematic contracts said they were not concerned by the arrest of Mour Kimsan.
"I don't pay attention to this story," said Douk Narin, project manager for the same rural roads project on which Mour Kimsan worked, but at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
"I am not involved," he said.
Ministry of Industry waterworks project manager Meng Saktheara said he, too, was not concerned.
"There is nothing to be afraid of, I didn’t do anything wrong," he said.
The World Bank did not respond to questions regarding the arrest of Mour Kimsan.
Funcinpec Minister of Rural Development Lu Laysreng said that Mour Kimsan, a ministry project manager and Funcinpec official, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with embezzling $840,000 from a bank-funded rural roads project.
"If fhe CPP arrests only Funcinpec party officials, it means that the CPP is not complying with the [coalition] agreement," said Ok Socheat public affairs adviser to Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
Ok Socheat said he received reports that the Phnom Penh Municipal Court has asked the National Assembly to strip some Funcinpec ministers of their parliamentaty immunity in connection with the World Bank's corruption findings.
Funcinpec is closely watching to see whether Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling CPP will arrest officials based on evidence or based on politics, he said.
CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said he was unaware of any request to strip the immunity of Funcinpec lawmakers.
Phnom Penh Court Investigating Judge Chiv Keng and prosecutor Ouk Savouth could not be reached for comment.
Lu Laysreng said he had no knowledge of the alleged embezzlement by his subordinate Mour Kimsan, but he said it is common in Cambodia for low-level officials to fix the bidding process.
Other officials responsible for projects in which the World Bank found problematic contracts said they were not concerned by the arrest of Mour Kimsan.
"I don't pay attention to this story," said Douk Narin, project manager for the same rural roads project on which Mour Kimsan worked, but at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
"I am not involved," he said.
Ministry of Industry waterworks project manager Meng Saktheara said he, too, was not concerned.
"There is nothing to be afraid of, I didn’t do anything wrong," he said.
The World Bank did not respond to questions regarding the arrest of Mour Kimsan.
1 comment:
This is a sign that Lu Ly sreng will be arrested soon for corruption. How much has he stoled from Cambodia, the God would know and will be punished by GOd Soon to come into a land of millions victims and committed a crime. Everytime he marry his son or daughter, he has wasted a lot of public monies. What an animal.
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