Synopsis: Lt Gen Uk Heiseha and Maj Gen Sar Samnang are accused of taking bribes and money laundering, while the latter’s wife is to be charged as an accomplice.
Two high-ranking police officers were arrested yesterday for allegedly accepting bribes from a group of online scammers.
Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) spokesman Soy Chanvichet named the two men as Lieutenant General Uk Heiseha, a Deputy Chief of the General Immigration Department, and Major General Sar Samnang, a Deputy Chief of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police in charge of Municipal Immigration Affairs.
The two were among four suspects caught and sent to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to face bribery charges. The other two were an immigration officer Yath Kosal and the wife of Maj Gen Samnang.
Chanvichet said the ACU apprehended the quartet because they had allegedly received bribes from online scammers in exchange for arresting them during a crackdown by the Commission for Combatting Online Scams in Phnom Penh.
Following their arrest, ACU officials confiscated an amount of cash, documents and equipment linked to fraud, he said.
Lt Gen Heiseha and Maj Samnang were accused of accepting bribes under Article 594 of the Criminal Code, and money laundering under Article 38 of the Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Financing. The other two were charged as accomplices.
They each face a prison term of seven to 15 years, if convicted.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Touch Sokhak hailed the arrests of Lt Gen Heiseha and Maj Gen Samnang, saying the ministry supported the move to uphold the law.
The ministry will leave it to the court to punish corrupt police officers in accordance with the laws, he added.
Plong Sophal, Deputy Prosecutor at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, could not be reached yesterday for comment.
- Tags: National, scam operation
