The owner of a local CD and DVD business was charged by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Saturday for the alleged rape of his 14-year-old adopted daughter, a court official said yesterday.

Court clerk Seng Sokheng said yesterday that the 41-year-old owner of Samleng Amatak CD DVD Production, identified as Var Somarith, was charged by a court prosecutor with having sexual intercourse with a minor under 15 years of age.

“According to the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, if found guilty, he shall be punished with imprisonment of five to 10 years,” he said.

Municipal penal police officer Ly Darith said that in 2014, Somarith invited a girl from a poor family to be his adopted daughter, and brought her to live with him in Por Sen Chey district.

When it came to light that he had allegedly had sex with the underage girl this year, however, the girl’s mother filed a police complaint.

Somarith was arrested on Friday based on a municipal court warrant after failing to appear for questioning many times, Darith said.

Neither Somarith nor his lawyer could be reached yesterday.