Two senior officers at the Ministry of National Defence have been summoned to appear in court in connection to charges of aggravated assault and illegal confinement.

Kampong Speu provincial court deputy prosecutor Khai Samphors issued separate summonses on January 26 and 27 for Major General Soy Chansoeurn, deputy head of the Development Office at the defence ministry’s General Command Headquarters, and an assistant Srey Sambath, as an accomplice.

Sambath is due to appear in court on February 8, and Chansoeurn is due to appear on February 15.

The summons were issued following a complaint on January 24 by Duong Hemalis, a 41-year-old merchant woman. Hemalis stated that at 10am on January 22, she got into a car with Chansoeurn at the Takhmao roundabout in Kandal province, after which he proceeded to attack her.

Hemalis accused: “Soy Chansoeurn beat me up and threatened me at gunpoint not to scream. Chansoeurn also threatened to shoot my legs and then kill me in the car.”

She said she was driven to Chamkar Chek village in Treng Trayoeng commune of Kampong Speu province’s Phnom Sruoch district.

“Soy Chansoeurn confined me in the house of his accomplice Srey Sambath until 7pm on January 22 when police intervened to release me and take me to hospital,” she claimed.

Her complaint sought prosecution of the two for criminal offences as well as seeking a civil settlement in which she has sued them for $1 million for treatment costs and $1 million in damages.

Neither Chansoeurn nor defence ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat could be reached for comment.

Thong Solimo, spokesman for the General Command Headquarters, said on January 31 that the defence ministry was waiting for results from the provincial court in Chansoeurn’s case. If he is convicted, the ministry will take disciplinary action.

“Soy Chansoeurn is also under the purview of the army. This case is under the jurisdiction of the court, and the army will wait for the court to take action first,” he said.