Cambodian Prince Ranariddh loses case at Supreme Court

PHNOM PENH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian Supreme Court on Wednesday announced its verdict to uphold the judgment of the Appeal Court for the case of breach of trust over selling of the co-ruling Funcinpec Party's headquarters by Prince Norodom Ranariddh (pictured).

"We uphold the judgments of the Appeal Court which sentenced the prince to 18 months in jail and compensation of 150,000 U.S. dollars to the Funcinpec Party over the case breach of trust," said Khim Pon, president of the council of judges.

The prince was sentenced in absentia as he has been in overseas political exile for more than a year.

"The court is biased and has injustice," said Muth Chantha, spokesman for the prince's Norodom Ranariddh party (NRP).

Ranariddh established NRP after he was ousted from Funcinpec as president in 2006. Funcinpec then sued him for breach of trust over selling the party headquarters. The prince later left the kingdom and has stayed in Malaysia ever since.

Ranariddh intended to be a parliamentarian as NRP has won some seats at the National Assembly according to the preliminary results of Monday's polling of the general election. But Cambodian law will prevent him from doing so, because he has received sentence to serve.

Muth Chantha didn't give comments about the prince's next step.

Editor: Sun Yunlong