Stop the idiocy!
Two years for CNRP politician
An opposition lawmaker was yesterday sentenced to two years in
prison by the Kandal provincial court for “aiding and abetting” a local
official’s escape from police detention in 2011, his lawyer said.
The verdict was swiftly slammed as politically motivated by the Cambodia National Rescue Party.
Chan Cheng, who was elected to represent Kandal in the National
Assembly in 2013, was convicted despite holding parliamentary immunity.
His lawyer, Sam Sokong, said yesterday that two others accused in the
case – Kien Svay district councillor Meas Peng, the alleged escapee,
and CNRP lawyer Choung Choungy – were also convicted.
Peng was given an 18-month sentence yesterday for escaping police
custody in September 2011 when Banteay Dek commune's then-deputy chief
was detained for allegedly inciting land protesters to destroy private
property.
At the time, Choungy, who was representing Peng, said he told police
they had arrested his client without a court warrant and freely walked
out of the provincial prison with him, before being driven away by Chan
Cheng.
Choungy – a well-known opposition lawyer and an adviser to National
Assembly first deputy president Kem Sokha – was also sentenced yesterday
to two years.
Sokong said that, by handing down a verdict, the Kandal court had
ignored Cheng’s constitutionally provided parliamentary immunity.
He cited a letter sent to the court on Wednesday outlining the fact
that Cheng’s immunity would have to be stripped first by the National
Assembly before a verdict could be handed down.
“[But the judge] still announced the verdict, ignoring our request,” Sokong said.
Cheng said he would appeal the decision. “I am a lawmaker with
immunity. Not only in terms of issuing a verdict, but also for arrest or
detention, none of this can happen to me. So I can say it’s completely
politically motivated,” he said.
In December 2011, Cheng, who was then a Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker,
had his immunity stripped by the National Assembly following a request
by the Kandal court.
But the CNRP’s 55 lawmakers elected in 2013 gained immunity when they
officially swore-in to parliament last August after a lengthy boycott.
Chheang Vun, a senior ruling CPP lawmaker and a National Assembly
spokesman, yesterday claimed that Cheng’s current immunity is not
applicable to a crime committed in 2011.
“If the parliament stripped his immunity at that time, the court is
able to continue with the case until now, because the crime was not
committed [under] his current immunity,” he said.
Vun said that while Cheng could not be arrested immediately if he
appealed the decision, he would automatically lose his immunity if a
final verdict is handed down by a higher court after appeals.
Kim Meng, the judge who handed down the verdict, could not be reached.
CNRP leader Sam Rainsy agreed the case was related to politics and
said Cheng was “definitely protected by his parliamentary immunity”.
“I expect all the cases to be fairly solved when all problems related
to recent politics are solved,” he said, declining to elaborate further
on what problems he was referring to.
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