‘Choub Samlab’ gets life in prison
EIGHT months after firing two bullets point blank into political analyst Kem Ley, former soldier and ex-monk Oeut Ang was yesterday sentenced to life in prison for murder and illegal gun possession, while it was also revealed two more suspects were under investigation.
The verdict, however, brought little closure for many Cambodians unconvinced the prominent critic of the government was slain over an unpaid debt, as claimed by the killer.
Some, including the suspect’s own mother, have suggested he was a hired gun, with the executionstyle killing at a Caltex service station on July 10 last year widely considered politically motivated.
In a hearing that lasted slightly more than 30 minutes, Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge Leang Samnath convicted Ang under articles 200 and 490 of the Criminal Code after noting he confessed to shooting Ley during his March 1 trial.
He then delivered a life sentence for the 44-year-old, who has falsely maintained that he is a 39-year-old migrant worker named “Choub Samlab”, which means “meet to kill” in English.
“The court has enough proof to put the burden [of guilt] on the accused Oeut Ang for premeditated murder and illegal gun possession,” Samnath said after summarising the case against Ang, who remained largely expressionless during the session.
Samnath also revealed the CONTINUED
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