Warrant for Kem Sokha On the Way, Court Says

 Cambodia Daily | 1 June 2016

A day after the ruling CPP decided deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha could be prosecuted despite his parliamentary immunity, a court official on Tuesday said an arrest warrant was forthcoming.

Mr. Sokha twice failed to appear before the Phnom Penh Municipal Court when called as a “witness” in a prostitution case brought against an alleged mistress of his. On Monday, 68 CPP lawmakers decided his absence constituted being caught red-handed committing a flagrant crime.

Palace officials accept reams of petitions from the CNRP on Monday calling for King Norodom Sihamoni to intervene in the ongoing political crisis. (Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily)

Lawmakers caught in the act of a crime are not initially protected by their immunity, and police tried to arrest Mr. Sokha last week, claiming to have an arrest warrant. However, municipal court director Taing Sunlay said on Tuesday a warrant had yet to be issued.

“The prosecutor needs to take more time for investigations on the procedures of the case, even though we will issue an arrest warrant,” he said.

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