Former Hun Sen assistant Bun Sokha and the three bodyguards who allegedly helped him brutally bash four men at a Koh Kong hotel in April will finally have their day in court.

The quartet, whose actions were captured on a security camera and later posted on YouTube, would stand trial in the Koh Kong Provincial Court on July 5, human-rights group Licadho said yesterday.

The court wrapped up its investigations into the assault earlier this month, despite all four victims withdrawing their complaints against the high-profile assistant.

In Kongchit, the provincial co-ordinator for Licadho, said deputy prosecutor Meas Vathana had issued summonses to the four accused to appear in court.

“This hearing will be a message to other powerful officials not to hurt ordinary people or they will be punished through the law,” Meas Vathana said.

The four suspects will have served about two months in pre-trial detention by the time their case reaches the court.

Phat Sokha, 42, one of the victims who worked for the Koh Kong City Hotel, said his injuries still caused him pain, but he had received a payment of US$5,000 from the accused after withdrawing his complaint.

“I was beaten severely and it makes me hurt now. I don’t want to dig it up again or be involved with [the accused]. The trial is the court’s problem,” he said.

In Kim, lawyer for Bun Sokha and the other three accused, declined to comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chhay Channyda at [email protected]