The Court of Appeal yesterday upheld the sentences of four former police officers convicted of defrauding would-be officers out of money in exchange for positions on the force, court officials said.

Presiding judge Chay Chandaravann said that So Nal, 65, the former deputy chief of the Ministry of Interior’s Intervention Police Department, and officers Heng Sovannarith, 43, Choub Savuth, 44, and Soy Sopha, 30, had each been handed two-year jail sentences.

They were also ordered to pay a joint compensation payment of US$10,000 for soliciting payments from nine men in exchange for positions.

“They cheated me … I had paid them $1,000 for my police position, and I had to also pay them another $50 for cutting my police uniform, but after I paid them the money, I did not get any police job from them,” said victim Chea Sophea.

The convicted men and their lawyers were not present at court, and could not be reached.

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