Paychecks aplenty as ghosts haunt Cambodia's lax bureaucracy

PHNOM PENH | By Prak Chan Thul

Borith has been on the payroll of Cambodia's parliament for 15 years but rarely shows up for work. He is busy with his other job at a non-governmental organization, and no one notices his absence.

It's a cushy deal that's common in Cambodia. Ghost workers are haunting its civil service, sapping taxpayers' money with jobs they don't actually do, or by pocketing salaries paid to people who don't even exist.

"There are just names of people who work at the National Assembly, but there's no work to do," said Borith, who declined to be identified by his full name to avoid jeopardizing his $300 a month parliament salary.

read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/23/us-cambodia-corruption-idUSKCN0PX2MI20150723