Rainsy faces charges in Facebook forgery case

[rooster59]

Rainsy faces charges in Facebook forgery case

PHNOM PENH: The Cambodia Daily reported that CNRP President Sam Rainsy has been slapped with new provisional charges of being an accomplice to forgery and incitement over a post made to his public Facebook page by someone else, reported The Cambodia Daily.

The charges follow a week in which Rainsy was effectively exiled from the country after a warrant was issued for his arrest in a seven-year-old defamation case. He also had his parliamentary immunity stripped from him after be­ing ousted from the National Assembly by a CPP vote.

Rainsy was in South Korea when the warrant was announced and has remained abroad ever since, reneging on a vow to return to Cambodia and face prison. With the new charges against him, which carry a possible penalty of 17 additional years in jail, it was less clear than ever when he might return.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court announced the charges — being an accomplice to the crimes of forging a public document, using a forged document, and inciting chaos — in a summons issued on Friday, explaining that the charges were provisional and would be confirmed or dismissed after Rainsy appeared for questioning by an investigating judge on Dec 4 at 8:30 a.m.

An arrest warrant would be issued if he failed to appear for questioning as summonsed.

Rainsy said yesterday that he welcomed the news of the additional charges, although he did not respond to questions about how they might affect his decision on whether and how to return to Cambodia.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/rainsy-faces-charges-in-facebook-forgery-case

-- Thai PBS 2015-11-21