Former Phnom Penh Municipal Police Commissioner Heng Pov will appear at the Court of Appeal today to challenge three of his numerous convictions, including one for the attempted murder of a newspaper publisher, his defence lawyer Kao Soupha said yesterday.

“These three cases include the attempted murder of Mr Thong Uy Pang – who was the owner and publisher of the Koh Santepheap Daily Newspaper – in 1998, the illegal detention of a woman in 2006 and trafficking fake currency [US dollars], which was seized from his residence in Phnom Penh in 2006,” he said, adding that Pov had been sentenced by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to a total of 30 years in prison for the three cases.

“The Phnom Penh court made unjust decisions for Mr Heng Pov; I hope that the Court of Appeal will find truth and justice for him,” he continued.

Heng Pov was arrested by Ministry of Interior police in 2006, and is currently serving 103 years in prison on a raft of charges, including the assassination of a judge.