The man accused of bribing former Appeals Court chief judge Ly Vuochleng is in jail unfairly, without evidence against him

Lawyer: Man at Center of Judge's Bribery Charges in Jail Unfairly
Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
29 August 2007

The man accused of bribing former Appeals Court chief judge Ly
Vuochleng is in jail unfairly, without evidence against him and
without a confession, a Phnom Penh lawyer said Monday.

Accusations of bribery caused Ly Vuochleng her prestigious seat on the
Appeals Court, but the man on the other end of the charges, Chhun
Poch, is being detained unlawfully, attorney Kao Sopha said.

Offering a bribe is a minor offense and should not mean jail-time
ahead of trial, he said, even if Chhun Poch had confessed, which he
hasn't.

Ly Vuochleng's ouster from the Appeals Court led to the appointment of
her replacement, You Bunleng, who is now at the center of a Khmer
Rouge tribunal row.

You Bunleng has said he can fulfill both his role as a tribunal
investigating judge and Appeals Court chief, but observers say this
will be difficult.

UN rights envoy Yash Ghai said Monday the appointment of You Bunleng
over Ly Vuochleng was unconstitutional and pointed to abuse of power
by the executive branch, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

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