In Fisheries Office Fraud, Impunity Worries
The people who work in and around the office say they fear alleged perpetrators of a recent land scam, some of whom are part of the gov
The office of the fisheries department of the Ministry ofAgriculture sits on nearly one hectare of land on Norodom Boulevard in Phnom Penh’s Chamkar Mon district. The largeoffice building has been a workplace for fisheries officials since 1979. The building and the land underneath it—worth millions ofdollars in today’s real estate market—became the focus of an expansiveinvestigation by police and military police this week, after they arrested 18people allegedly involved in a scheme to sell the land through forgedgovernment documents. Now the people who work in and around the office say theyfear the alleged perpetrators, some of whom are a part of the government,will be released. Inside the fisheries office compound on Thursday evening,Pom Sok Hot, a 27-year-old staff administrator, was incensed at the attemptedsale. “If someone is found not guilty, he should be released. Butany person found to be involved in forging government documents should not bereleased,” she said. “If the person found guilty is released, that isinjustice.” Nearby, a roadside motorcycle repairman, Soeung Rithy, 39,said he worried that powerful and wealthy people would be released. “Frankly speaking, I’m afraid there could be corruption,” hesaid. RCAF Lt. Col. Saphon Dara was charged at Phnom PenhMunicipal Court Wednesday with document forgery. His mother, Neang Sovanny, wascharged in absentia for the same crime. Seventeen others, including Lt. Col.Men Vichet, deputy commander of RCAF infantry, and three other militaryofficers, were charged with the use of forged documents. A military policeman told VOA Khmer on condition ofanonymity that Saphon Dara was found with a forged letter purporting to comefrom the Council of Ministers and offering a sale of the fisheries office. Copies of the letter were distributed to Phnom Penh land brokers seeking buyers forthe office, and one copy found its way to Men Vichet, the policeman alleged. Offers to buy the land would have been tempting. Landsituated on main boulevards, such as Norodom, command a high price in Phnom Penh’s booming realestate market. Soeng Bunnawho owns Bunna Realty Groupsaid Friday land on the main boulevards, attractive for large businessdevelopments or even embassy construction, fetches up to $4,000 per squaremeter. That means the fisheries department land, which is nearly9,000 square meters, could have been worth up to $36 million. By last week, reports of the fraudulent letter had reachedPrime Minister Hun Sen, who ordered authorities to find the forgers and arrestthem. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, police and military policecalled in 22 people for questioning, sending 18 to the courts, along withSaphon Dara, who was arrested Monday. Police are still searching for Neang Sovanny.