Two ministry officials guilty of corruption
close to the ministry’s Preah Vihear offices to Sothea, who lived nearby. While Makara kept $10,000, Phally got $5,000 from the transaction, with the rest of the group getting between $2,500 and $4,500 from the sale.
They claimed the money was to clear the department’s debt, buy materials for its operations and to distribute the remainder among the officials working there.
The judge ordered the land returned to the state, but only about $5,800 was confiscated from the officials.
Only Phally was present during the verdict announcement and did not speak to the media as he made his way into a prison vehicle after the hearing.
The purchaser, Sothea, was also absent from court. But his wife said the verdict was unjust as they did not get back the money they paid for the land.
“I spent a lot of money. There were signatures from the village chief, commune chief and town chief [for the sale]. There has to be compensation for me,” she said, requesting anonymity.
Am Sam Ath, monitoring manager for rights group Licadho, said that the light sentences were emblematic of a broader trend in which government officials and those close to the ruling party are often dealt lesser charges than they actually deserve.
“So the charges are different for people who work in the government, and those who are not in the government get heavier charges,” he said.
Sam Ath added that while Makara was indeed culpable as the department’s head, the other officials who accepted the money should be tried as well.