After Khmer Rise Party (KRP) president Sok Sovann Vathana Sabung’s criticism sparked outrage, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has declared that a 20-year-old woman had passed the judicial examination on merit.

The ACU said Soy You Somnea had successfully passed an examination to enrol in further classes to become a judge, rather than act as a judge immediately as Vathana Sabung wrong inferred.

“Passing the judge’s examination at 20 means she [You Somnea] attained her Bachelor’s degree at 15 and her high school diploma at 11. Hence, [it would mean] she entered primary school [when she was a toddler].

“Is she so competent that she passed the judge examination [so young]?” asked Vathana Sabung, who is also a member of the Supreme Council for Consultations and Recommendations.

The post and subsequent social media firestorm prompted the ACU to mount a probe which cleared You Somnea of any wrongdoing in having passed the examination, of which she was among 650 candidates.

“The Education and Prevention Department of the ACU finds that the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions and the Ministry of Justice competently organised the recruitment process for the 10th generation of judicial students, in terms of capability, age requirements and other terms and conditions as dictated by law,” the ACU said in a press release.

The press release further clarified that You Somnea was now qualified to enrol in further classes to become a judge eventually, but would have to write another examination before being permitted to do so.

The ACU added that an investigation into You Somnea’s background revealed that she entered primary school at age four and passed high school with an average grade of 91.506 per cent at the age of 16 after having skipped one grade.

After completing high school, the ACU said, You Somnea enrolled in a four-year Bachelor’s degree programme at the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh where she passed with the distinction of “very good”.

An official Royal Academy for Judicial Professions announcement outlining student criteria, said candidates for the programme are to hold Cambodian nationality since birth, a degree in law and be a maximum of 35-years-old.

Prospective candidates must have criminal record checks issued by the Ministry of Justice and certified letters of health from the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training.

The ACU said it found You Somnea to have met all of the specified criteria and had been enrolled in primary school at the age of four – two years ahead of the Kingdom’s mandatory age for children to be enrolled.

As a result, it said she is free to continue in the two-year programme to become a judge.

“If the candidate Soy You Somnea successfully studied the judicial profession for two years and continues to pass the judge and prosecutor examinations at the age of nearly 23, she must not be prohibited by law [from serving in the courts],” the ACU stressed.

After the ACU issued its press release, Vathana Sabung told The Post on Sunday that he still had reservations over accepting the Unit’s conclusion.

He accused the ACU of protecting itself and covering up violations as a large number of irregularities had already prompted other candidates to demand more transparency in its monitoring of the examinations.

“I am saddened that the ACU failed to investigate the issue thoroughly and subsequently issued an incomprehensive press release.

“I hope the case will be investigated again because the Cambodian people are demanding that the justice system be reformed.

“What if the procedure to issue examinations to prospective judges is corrupt? How can we evaluate the previously approved judges who are already working and hold the trust of the people?” he asked.

You Somnea declined to comment on Sunday.

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