Battambang provincial police are investigating allegations that the police chief of Sangke district had conspired to commit corruption.

The accusations against the police chief, Sun Sovann, were detailed in an anonymous letter sent to provincial police chief Sat Kimsan and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng.

Kimsan said on October 26 that he had assigned officials to launch the probe.

The letter accuses Sovann and his deputy chief of staff Heang Yong Hong of corruption and partisanship.

“Sangke district police chief Sun Sovann and deputy chief of staff Heang Yong Hong conspired to commit corruption, partisanship, and extort money from subordinates. They let inactive officials, who do not come to work, to receive a salary and clear flooded forest land in three areas of the Kampong Prieng commune to claim as their own,” the letter said.

It said such behaviour has troubled some officials in the unit, leading to a lack of discipline.

The same letter mentioned eight officials who they said had been inactive but whose names always appear on the daily roster and payroll.

Five other officials were also accused of misconduct in the letter, which alleged that Sovann and Yong Hong had conspired to change their roles from one department to another without the consent of section leaders and not in accordance with decisions by the management.

Reached for comment, Sovann rejected the accusation. But he declined to comment further, saying he would leave it up to his superiors to resolve the case.

He said the provincial police chief requested people mentioned in the accusations to come forward for questioning but had bared no result as yet.

“I do not know how to explain it. If we are slandered, let the leaders conduct an investigation. My provincial police chief has already asked my subordinates who are involved for questioning, but I do not know the results yet,” he said.