Kampot provincial court sent two former journalists to jail on Saturday to await trial on charges of fraud for impersonating NGO officials and collecting money under false pretences from the families of disabled villagers.

Police officials said Chea Chanthorn, 55, a former reporter for the Kampuchea Sachak newspaper, and Meach Toy, 49, a former reporter for the Anakut Kuon Khmer newspaper, were arrested on June 7 for allegedly defrauding about 10 residents of Svay village, in Kampot town’s Kraing Ampil commune.

“According to the distributed letters, which were obtained by police, Chea Chanthorn claimed he was the president of the Kampot Provincial Handicap Development Community,” Kong Thy, a police officer in Kampot town, said.

“He claimed he had received many hectares of land concessions from the Cambodian government for disabled people who were resettling in Chhouk district’s Taken Koh Sla commune.”

According to In Chiva, deputy chief of the Kampot provincial police, the two then asked the handicapped villagers for a small fee in exchange for a letter granting them parcels of the fake concession.

Authorities seized 40 copies of the letter, which had not yet been distributed.

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