Still fighting: Former top cop appeals convictions (Cambodia)

Disgraced former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Pov was back at the Court of Appeal yesterday, arguing against four separate convictions, adding up to a total of 42 years’ prison time.

Cases against Pov, 56, heard in court yesterday stem from crimes ranging from possessing counterfeit cash to orchestrating an attempted murder, which occurred across eight years between 1998 and 2006.

“Those witnesses all have a problem with me and they lied to implicate me,” Pov said in court of the two men convicted of carrying out the attempted murder.

Ly Rasy, 44, and Pheng Phay, 43, were both convicted of attempting to assassinate Thong Uy Pang, editor of Koh Santepheap newspaper, in 1998. The two were charged with shooting Uy Pang in the shoulder while he was at Teuk Thla Pagoda.

Rasy and Phay were each sentenced to 18 years in prison for the crime.

Koa Supha, Pov’s attorney, argued in court that there was no evidence tying his client to the shooting, for which he was sentenced to 16 years in 2009.

Pov also appealed convictions for the 2003 illegal detention of Chan Seak –for which he received five years – his 2005 illegal detention of Heng Kimleang, seven years, and a 2006 case of possessing counterfeit $100 bills, 14 years.

Decisions will be handed down on April 7, Judge Seng Sivutha said.