Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Vong Sokheng
Phnom Penh Post
The government’s Anticorruption Unit has completed an investigation of officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs accused of stealing money from the pensions of retired civil servants, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday.
Speaking to hundreds of government officials yesterday in Phnom Penh, the premier said the probe had uncovered corruption on the part of a number of people, but that no arrests will be made at this time.
“From the investigation, [the ACU] now knows everything about the graft, but has not taken any measures for arrests,” Hun Sen said. “If you want to try it again, you’ll be in trouble.”
The premier added that he had personally ordered the investigation in March, and that it had uncovered Ministry of Social Affairs staff pocketing the pensions of former government officials who are now deceased as well as living retirees who had become frustrated with the ministry and had stopped trying to collect their pensions.
“The bureaucracy and ignorance of the officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs dissuaded the retirees from coming back again and again,” Hun Sen said.
ACU spokesman Keo Remy declined to comment on the investigation announced by the prime minister, though he said ACU head Om Yentieng may had a press conference on the issue soon. Om Yentieng could not be reached for comment.
Social Affairs Ministry spokesman Lim El Djurado said there are roughly 90,000 retired soldiers on civil servants on the government payroll, and that the ministry is attempting to reform the pension system so that payments will be processed through local banks.
“In order to clean up illegal activity by some officials, we are now in the process of reforming our banking system, and we expect this process to be completed by the end of 2012,” he said.
Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, called on the government to follow through on the prime minister’s warning with prosecutions of the officials involved.
“I think Prime Minister Hun Sen has to show real political will to make arrests of those suspected of graft and punish them in accordance with the law,” Rong Chhun said.
The government’s Anticorruption Unit has completed an investigation of officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs accused of stealing money from the pensions of retired civil servants, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday.
Speaking to hundreds of government officials yesterday in Phnom Penh, the premier said the probe had uncovered corruption on the part of a number of people, but that no arrests will be made at this time.
“From the investigation, [the ACU] now knows everything about the graft, but has not taken any measures for arrests,” Hun Sen said. “If you want to try it again, you’ll be in trouble.”
The premier added that he had personally ordered the investigation in March, and that it had uncovered Ministry of Social Affairs staff pocketing the pensions of former government officials who are now deceased as well as living retirees who had become frustrated with the ministry and had stopped trying to collect their pensions.
“The bureaucracy and ignorance of the officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs dissuaded the retirees from coming back again and again,” Hun Sen said.
ACU spokesman Keo Remy declined to comment on the investigation announced by the prime minister, though he said ACU head Om Yentieng may had a press conference on the issue soon. Om Yentieng could not be reached for comment.
Social Affairs Ministry spokesman Lim El Djurado said there are roughly 90,000 retired soldiers on civil servants on the government payroll, and that the ministry is attempting to reform the pension system so that payments will be processed through local banks.
“In order to clean up illegal activity by some officials, we are now in the process of reforming our banking system, and we expect this process to be completed by the end of 2012,” he said.
Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, called on the government to follow through on the prime minister’s warning with prosecutions of the officials involved.
“I think Prime Minister Hun Sen has to show real political will to make arrests of those suspected of graft and punish them in accordance with the law,” Rong Chhun said.
9 comments:
Have you wonder why government official driving around with lexus and macedes with $200 salary? Forget the warning, fire them PM Hun Sen. You got to hold these people accountable otherwise your reputation will be in the mude like opposition claimed.
While I don't like seeing people not accountable for their action, it's permissible to give warning as Hun Sen is doing before you take the final step of termination of the officials. If you work in HR in the corporate world, you know it is the same thing, warning then if no improvement, termination.
22 June 2011 11:09 PM
While many of those luxury vehicles are owned by people who exploit their positions, many of them are also legitimately owned by honest work of the people. Just because you hold a govt. official doesn't you can't invest and generate income elsewhere as well.
Sometimes, I wonder if the bitterness of those people pointing finger at other people's prosperity is rightly found or simply a case of low self-esteem issue and jealousy.
I knew a friend who used to work for Dept of Interior(Phnon Penh), after he left cambodia to live abroad, the superior- people in the Dept still keep and use his name to collect monthly salary....This how corruptions in cambodia works!
Ghost employee! Ghost money$$$!
22 June 2011 11:32 PM
Go to khmerlive.tv and watch Hun Sen's latest speech. He addressed the problem you're stating and issued a final warning.
I urged corruption law to investigate on this firm...CWDA, the cambodian developement agency, this place still collecting salary from employee who no longer working there...I'm one of them! Her name is Sophal..ran the place!
CWDA=cambodian Women Developement Agency...The bos there name Sophal!
stop talking, stop telling, stop warning,
please remove a crooked or lazy bone official from the post
make action, rather than speak..
The law is the law, if you do something wrong, you must be punished, no warning but taking action straight away. The law stated clearly, so no need to warn. This shows that the ACU is a political tool for Hun Sen to persecute his opponents and critics, but not punishing his cronies who did something against the law.
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