The Supreme Court yesterday conducted another hearing into the decade-old case of a three-star RCAF general found guilty in 2002 of owing more than US$50,000 for construction work.

Presiding judge and vice-pres­­­ident of the Supreme Court Kong Srim said the court would make a final ruling regarding the US$54,000 that Eng Bunkheang, the director of LY Master Construction Company, believes General Prak Sovanna owes her.

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

“When my construction projects were almost completed, I asked him to pay me some construction fees. He tried to delay payment after the completion of the projects,” Eng Bunkheang said, adding that her company had received only US$26,246.

Prak Sovanna’s defence attorney, Sao Noeun, denied the accusations, saying his client had signed the contract on behalf of the Ministry of National Defence, so was not solely responsible.

Eng Bunk­heang’s com­­pany had not been paid in full by his client because the construction that was agreed upon in the contract had not been completed, he said. “The plaintiff’s claim is not true and she has intention to defame my client’s reputation,” Sao Noeun said.

Kong Srim said the Supreme Court was considering whether the case was a matter between LY Master Construction Company and the state, rather than Prak Sovanna as an individual.

The verdict will be handed down on June 15.

The case has been back and forth in the supreme and appeal courts several times.

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