Wednesday, 03 October 2012
By Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
Phnom Penh Post 
Tep Kolap (C) outside the Supreme Court on Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post
An outstanding court warrant for Phnom Penh International University
rector Tep Kolap was dropped after the intervention of the premier and his wife, according to Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Touch Naruth.
“Tep Kolap’s case is now ended. She is free from the court’s accusations now. And her court warrant for questioning was also removed from the court,” he told the Post yesterday during a telephone interview.
“Samdech Prime Minister had promised that he will find justice for her. Police will also provide her safety and security,” he said.
On Monday, fleeing what she claims were would-be assassins, Kolap made her way to the premier’s house seeking refuge. After arriving there and meeting with bodyguards, she was then brought in to meet with Bun Rany, said Kolap and an official yesterday.
Declining to comment on the extent of the premier’s intervention, deputy commander of the prime minister’s bodyguard unit, Lieutenant General Chao Tol, confirmed that he “brought Tep Kolap for a meeting with Lok Chumteav Bun Rany”.
While Kolap maintained that those who followed her as she left the Khmer-Soviet Friendship hospital and fired at her car were would-be assassins, Naruth said an investigation revealed the men were all undercover police officers.
“There were no people aiming to assassinate Tep Kolap on that day. Those who drove motorbikes and followed her car on Monday evening were the police agents. They followed her because they had received a warrant for questioning from the court,” he said.
When the men failed to stop the car in order to hand her the warrant, “they shot in the air in order to stop her and the car from driving and escaping.” [Oh ho! Touch Naruth, I know now why you were sacked. If the police wanted to hand the warrant to Tep Kolap, why didn't they come to her house during the day with complete police uniform and why they were on plain clothes, chasing her and shooting at her in the middle of the night? Does this mean that those plain clothes "police" were in fact hired hit men or the assassins?]
That account was disputed by Kolap and three relatives who accompanied her in the car at the time of the shooting.
“If they want me to come in for questioning, they would come during working times, in uniform,” she said. “Why would they do this? Who would shoot?”
“They are the murderers. They wanted to kill me,” she said, adding that though she had planned to seek medical treatment in Singapore this week following her release from prison, she was now too scared to leave her house.
The Supreme Court on Friday dropped embezzlement charges against Kolap, who spent more than a year in prison on allegations of having stolen more than $58 million from CPP Senator Kok An.
Just days later, his lawyer and police revealed there were other outstanding warrants for related cases filed several years ago by Kok An.
Long Dara, one of several lawyers representing the senator, said he had heard only through unofficial channels that the case had been dropped but had not yet been informed by the court.
“My client, as a victim in this case, was not pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision and the releasing of Tep Kolap, because it is an injustice for him,” he said.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s President Chiv Keng could not be reached for comment, while the case’s investigating judge, Kor Vandy, picked up his phone but refused to speak when a reporter identified himself.
Ho Sothy, chief of the prime minister’s Cabinet, could not be reached for comment.
“Tep Kolap’s case is now ended. She is free from the court’s accusations now. And her court warrant for questioning was also removed from the court,” he told the Post yesterday during a telephone interview.
“Samdech Prime Minister had promised that he will find justice for her. Police will also provide her safety and security,” he said.
On Monday, fleeing what she claims were would-be assassins, Kolap made her way to the premier’s house seeking refuge. After arriving there and meeting with bodyguards, she was then brought in to meet with Bun Rany, said Kolap and an official yesterday.
Declining to comment on the extent of the premier’s intervention, deputy commander of the prime minister’s bodyguard unit, Lieutenant General Chao Tol, confirmed that he “brought Tep Kolap for a meeting with Lok Chumteav Bun Rany”.
While Kolap maintained that those who followed her as she left the Khmer-Soviet Friendship hospital and fired at her car were would-be assassins, Naruth said an investigation revealed the men were all undercover police officers.
“There were no people aiming to assassinate Tep Kolap on that day. Those who drove motorbikes and followed her car on Monday evening were the police agents. They followed her because they had received a warrant for questioning from the court,” he said.
When the men failed to stop the car in order to hand her the warrant, “they shot in the air in order to stop her and the car from driving and escaping.” [Oh ho! Touch Naruth, I know now why you were sacked. If the police wanted to hand the warrant to Tep Kolap, why didn't they come to her house during the day with complete police uniform and why they were on plain clothes, chasing her and shooting at her in the middle of the night? Does this mean that those plain clothes "police" were in fact hired hit men or the assassins?]
That account was disputed by Kolap and three relatives who accompanied her in the car at the time of the shooting.
“If they want me to come in for questioning, they would come during working times, in uniform,” she said. “Why would they do this? Who would shoot?”
“They are the murderers. They wanted to kill me,” she said, adding that though she had planned to seek medical treatment in Singapore this week following her release from prison, she was now too scared to leave her house.
The Supreme Court on Friday dropped embezzlement charges against Kolap, who spent more than a year in prison on allegations of having stolen more than $58 million from CPP Senator Kok An.
Just days later, his lawyer and police revealed there were other outstanding warrants for related cases filed several years ago by Kok An.
Long Dara, one of several lawyers representing the senator, said he had heard only through unofficial channels that the case had been dropped but had not yet been informed by the court.
“My client, as a victim in this case, was not pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision and the releasing of Tep Kolap, because it is an injustice for him,” he said.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s President Chiv Keng could not be reached for comment, while the case’s investigating judge, Kor Vandy, picked up his phone but refused to speak when a reporter identified himself.
Ho Sothy, chief of the prime minister’s Cabinet, could not be reached for comment.
To contact the reporter on this story: Buth Reaksmey Kongkea at reaksmeykongkea.buth@phnompenhpost.com
With assistance from Abby Seiff
With assistance from Abby Seiff
5 comments:
“There were no people aiming to assassinate Tep Kolap on that day. Those who drove motorbikes and followed her car on Monday evening were the police agents. They followed her because they had received a warrant for questioning from the court,” he said.
.....So why they shot at her 3 time???why are you trying to cover it up??are they your men??
Also Touch Naruth said the police shot into the air, but witnesses said they saw them shooting into her car shattering the car window, which Hun Sen's bodyguards were trying to clean up in front of his house. Touch Naruth, your alibi and explanation doesn't make any sense. Are you a crooked/criminal police chief? Maybe you were the one who ordered those policemen to chase her and shooting at her in order to assassinate her.
ពួកអាប៉ូលីសទាំងនោះសុទ្ឋតែជាឆ្កែបំរើអ្នកមាននិង
អ្នកមានអំណាច។អាឆ្កែផ្កាយសីធំ អាឆ្កែគត់ផ្កាយ
ច្រាស់តូច។
This how Hun sen running the country chasing all incompetence thugs to be around him to cover up their crime.If these thugs police men that chased Tep Kolap just want to give her warrant,why shooting her vehicle three times?
Why dont they conduct business as a civilize cops dress up in uniform serve her at her residents home?
58 milkions dollars that missing is in Yuon's bank because Ah kok Anh and ah Sok Anh were Yuon agents worked as khmers senate how sad????
The name "Anh" is Yuon's name,Khmer doesn't have name like that.The name Kok Anh is 100% Yiek cong agent,why in the hell that he worked as khmers senate? No wonder every conflicted with Yuon,Yiek cong always wins,from border issues to land grabbing to fishing at Kampong chhnang province Yuons win over khmers always.Its sad these Cpp didn't learn from the past mistook associated with Yiek cong/Yiek Minh,ever since khmers encountered with them couple centuries ago....When are we going to learn?
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