The Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday reopened the trial of seven alleged thieves, with court officials questioning defendants about their employment status, among other matters, but not about the nature of their alleged crimes.

Six Nigerian defendants, several of whom are professional footballers, and one Cambodian, were brought to court for yesterday’s hearing. The men were arrested in May last year after Cambodian police received a tip from their Australian counterparts alleging the men had stolen bank account information.

In court yesterday, judge Tob Chhun Heng and prosecutor Um Sopheak questioned five of the defendants about their jobs in the Kingdom and whether they had received items from, or sent money to, Australia.

All five said they had received gifts and other items from family members and friends based in Australia, but no questions were asked about how or whether the defendants obtained bank codes or hacked bank accounts.

In a previous hearing in November, the judge had asked the defendants about their backgrounds and relationship to one another, and then postponed the hearing. The trial is expected to continue today.