Phnom Penh (FN), June 13 – Acting president of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party, Kem Sokha, once again, opts to ignore Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s summon for him to appear on June 14, 2016, said senior CNRP official, Eng Chay Eang when receiving petitions from the party supporters at the front gate of the party headquarters this morning, June 13, 2016.

Chhay Eang said Sokha will still refuse to appear in the court on the ground he has immunity but will assign a lawyer to represent him.

Investigating Judge of Phnom Penh Municipal Court, Thann Leng, on May 26, issued a summon to Mr. Kem Sokha to appear in the court on June 13, 2016 for “refusing to appear in the court” last times at summonses by the court’s prosecutor. This summon came up after Mr. Sokha had failed to show up two times consecutively at the summons of the prosecutor to be the witness in a legal case of prostitution that involves a woman known as Khom Chandarati or Srey Mom.

Upon a report by the court, after Sokha’s objection to the summonses, the National Assembly voted in support of the court to continue the legal proceeding in regard of Sokha’s case.

The court’s prosecutor then pursues the case with a charge against Sokha of refusing to appear in the court as a witness under Article 538 of the Criminal Code that states ““Any person who is summoned to testify as witness before a prosecutor or an investigating judge or a criminal court and refuses to appear himself/herself following the summon without any valid reason is punishable by an imprisonment from 1 (one) month to 6 (six) months and a fine from 100,000 (one hundred thousand) Riels ($25) to 1,000,000 (one million) Riels ($250).”
=FRESH NEWS