Over the past week, social media has been flooded with comments claiming the suspect is prone to be released from prison because he’s wealthy, a standard belief in regards to the justice system within the Southeast Asian country. The court ruled on Saturday.
The suspect, 50-year-old Srey Sina, allegedly shot and killed 27-year-old Long Lysong and his 25-year-old fiancee Khim Kanhchana on June 17 while intervening in a dispute between neighbors. Two other victims, each of their 20s, suffered minor injuries.
Srey Sina was also charged with attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, in response to a press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on Sunday. It said the costs could be prosecuted in two separate proceedings, each carrying a penalty of as much as 15 years in prison. There isn’t any death penalty in Cambodia. The prosecutor’s office said additional charges could also be filed after further investigation.
The court ordered the suspect to be placed in Prey Sar prison. He was not made available for comment, and court officials couldn’t be reached Sunday to search out out if he had a lawyer.
The case attracted enormous attention not only due to the apparently unprovoked murder of a soon-to-be-married couple and the minor dispute it sparked, but additionally since the suspect held the title of Oknha, an honorific given to businessmen who donated large sums of cash to the federal government.
Oknha’s title is widely related to influential tycoons who’re believed to be cronies of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, which has been in power for nearly 4 a long time. However, there are roughly 1,300 title holders, most of whom, just like the suspect, aren’t public figures.
Unofficially, the title is related to the impunity of the wealthy, acting as a sort of preventive get-out-of-jail card or a approach to bypass government regulations.
Any cases involving egregious criminality – akin to physical attacks or drug trafficking – that attract public interest carry a risk of retaliation for the federal government, leaving it vulnerable to attacks by adversaries.
Recognizing the political sensitivity, Prime Minister Hun Manet and members of his government quickly expressed condolences for the death and guaranteed that justice could be vigorously pursued.
After his arrest, King Norodom Sihamoni stripped Srey Sin of his Oknha title. At least two other Ohkna holders had their titles revoked earlier this yr over alleged cases of great fraud.
Last week’s shooting reportedly resulted from a dispute between the victims and considered one of their neighbors, who was a tenant of a property owned by the suspect. Police say the tenant, who has not been charged, called Srey Sina to assist her with a dispute that police said involved a clothesline, a mango tree and a automobile parking space, amongst other things.
Security camera footage leaked to social media over the weekend shows a suspicious gesture for Long Lysong to approach him to a spot just out of camera range, from where he apparently shoots him at point-blank range. He then comes back into view together with his gun while the opposite victims attempt to hide under and behind tables, but are chased and shot.
Police, who captured the suspect hours after he fled the scene of the shooting, said he confessed to the crime, saying he was infuriated by Long Lysong’s rude manner of speaking.
In addition to calls for the harshest possible punishment for the killer, the incident has led to calls for tighter gun control.
