Hong Sok Hour bail ruling delayed

Opposition Senator Hong Sok Hour leaves the Appeal Court in Phnom Penh yesterday after attending a bail hearing. Pha Lina

Hong Sok Hour bail ruling delayed

Thu, 9 June 2016 ppp

Kim Sarom

Cambodia’s Supreme Court yesterday did not make a scheduled ruling on jailed Sam Rainsy Party Senator Hong Sok Hour’s second bail plea and his appeal to reject a lower court’s request to hand over his computer to investigators.

During court proceedings, Sok Hour said lower courts wanted his computer in order to collect evidence, but he instead proposed using the internet to verify the contested documents on his Facebook page.

“At the Phnom Penh court hearing, I demanded to have a computer connected to the internet so that all could see it [documents], but the court stalled the proceedings,” he said.

Sok Hour is being tried for forging a public document, using a forged public document and incitement to cause serious unrest, after he posted a “fake” section of the 1979 border treaty between Cambodia and Vietnam on Facebook last August.

The presiding judge, Soeng Panhavuth, said a decision on Sok Hour’s two requests will now be made on June 22.

In a separate bail hearing, Adhoc lawyer Long Lun confirmed that the rights group’s four jailed human rights staffers will request bail at the Appeal Court on June 13, adding that Sam Sokong, lawyer for jailed National Election Committee official and ex-Adhoc staffer Ny Chakrya, will also apply for bail on the same day.

However, NEC spokesman Hang Puthea said the body would not intervene in Chakrya’s case, calling it a private matter.

The five were arrested last month after being charged with bribing a witness based on accusations from CNRP leader Kem Sokha’s alleged mistress, Khom Chandaraty.

Additional reporting by Bun Sengkong and Mech Dara