The Supreme Court ordered a three-star Royal Cambodian Armed Force’s general to pay the owner of a construction company more than US$30,000 on Friday when the final verdict was handed down regarding the decade-old dispute.

Presiding judge and vice president of the Supreme Court Kong Srim ruled that General Prak Sovanna still owed the director of LY Master Construction Company, Eng Bunkheang, thousands of dollars for repairs her company made to a military school.

“The Supreme Court ordered Prak Sovanna to pay a total of US$37,813.71 to Mrs Eng Bunkheang regarding fees for a military school building in 2001,” the presiding judge said on Friday.

Eng Bunkheang said she signed two contracts with Prak Sovanna, who was the director of Thlok Tasek military commander shool at the time, in August 2000 to make structural repairs to the school for about US$95,000.

“When my construction projects were almost completed, I asked him to pay me some contruction fees. He tried to delay payment after the completion of the projects,” she said, adding that her company received just more than US$26,000 in payment for the repairs.

General Prak Sovanna and his defence attorney, Sao Nowun, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

However, during a hearing on June 4, Sao Nowun claimed his client was innocent, because he had signed the contract on behalf of the Ministry of National Defence, meaning he was not solely responsible for payment to the construction company.

To contact the reporter on this story: Buth Reaksmey Kongkea at [email protected]