An Oddar Meanchey deputy provincial police chief has been accused of dishonestly taking payments to illegally facilitate the sale of a car being temporarily stored at the police station by the provincial court.

In a letter obtained yesterday and dated August 11, a man named Hun Rith accused deputy police chief Nhol Vuth of accepting a total of $500 over the course of two meetings in late April and early May in return for signing a contract promising to facilitate the sale of a wrecked car impounded at the police station.

“But until now, there’s been no deal made and no money returned,” Rith wrote in his complaint to the National Police. “He [Vuth] insisted, ‘You can file a complaint anywhere, I won’t give it back. What can you do to me?’”

Neither Rith nor Vuth could be reached for comment yesterday.

However, provincial police chief Men Ly said that he was unfamiliar with the complaint against his subordinate, but that such behaviour would have legal repercussions.

Provincial court spokesman Sao Sopheak said wrecked vehicles can be sold to compensate accident victims but such sales must be conducted by the court.