Bridget Di Certo and Chhay Channyda
Monday, 07 May 2012
Phnom Penh Post
Current and former staff at the Khmer Rouge tribunal have criminally
interfered with investigations into government opposed Case 004 and
their actions have been reported to prosecutors within the Cambodian
court system, the outgoing reserve international co-investigating judge
said on Friday.
In his final statement in the role, Laurent Kasper-Ansermet slammed staff at the court, including his Cambodian counterpart You Bunleng,
whose conduct the Swiss national said amounted to “a serious
interference with the conduct of the judicial investigation in Case
Files 003 and 004”.
“The Reserve International Co-Investigating
Judge has therefore brought this matter to the attention of the Supreme
Council of the Magistracy of the Kingdom of Cambodia,” Kasper-Ansermet
said in his statement.
Before departing the court on Friday,
Kasper-Ansermet said he had also reported the results of his own
internal investigation of the interference by court staff in the two
government-opposed cases 003 and 004 to prosecution authorities in
Cambodia.
After announcing his resignation in March,
Kasper-Ansermet issued a lengthy note describing the “egregious
dysfunctions” at the court including a mafia-like system of orders,
originating from You Bunleng and disseminated throughout offices
involved in investigations in cases 003 and 004, to block the Swiss
national and his investigators from conducting their work.
In a
press release on Friday, Kasper-Ansermet described a “highly hostile
environment” – indicating matters have not improved. He could not be
reached yesterday.
His successor has not been announced, but two
nominations for an international co-investigating judge and a reserve
will be given to the government and Supreme Council of the Magistracy
for endorsement shortly, UN Special Expert for the tribunal David
Scheffer said in a meeting on Friday with Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.
Sok An told Scheffer that Kasper-Ansermet’s concerns were groundless, government spokesman Ek Tha said.
“[Sok
An] said to Mr David Scheffer: ‘He [Kasper-Ansermet] has made a
statement of problems from no problems’,” Ek Tha said yesterday, adding
Cambodia’s main concern was to see the tribunal proceed as expediently
and efficiently as possible.
“Money doesn’t grow on trees, you
know, and the donors will get bored,” Ek Tha said. “The government does
not want to see the cases in limbo.”
Sam Prachea Manith, director of the minister’s cabinet at the Ministry of Justice,
said yesterday that he had not received any complaint or letter
addressed to the Supreme Council of the Ministry about tribunal matters.
“I work for the administration office [so I would know],” he said.
Cambodian co-prosecutor Chea Leang,
who serves as the general prosecutor at the national Supreme Court and
sits on the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, which refused to endorse
the UN nomination of Kasper-Ansermet, said his accusations were
baseless.
“There is no proof, he is leaving, so he is just making pain for others,” Chea Leang said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Bridget Di Certo at bridget.dicerto@phnompenhpost.com
Chhay Channyda at channyda.chhay@phnompenhpost.com
With assistance from Cheang Sokha
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