A senior employee at the Foreign Trade Bank of Cambodia (FTB) was arrested and charged yesterday by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court over allegations that he stole $1.6 million from the bank in 2013.

Court clerk Seng Mony said that Chou Cheasari, 56, the former deputy general director of the FTB’s credit department, was charged yesterday with breach of trust and is awaiting questioning by the investigating judge.

If found guilty, Cheasari faces 2 to 5 years in prison and a maximum of a $1,000 to $2,500 fine.

According to penal police officer Sok Rithy, Cheasari was arrested yesterday morning in Phnom Penh based on a warrant issued in his name.

“It was alleged by the FTB owner that [Cheasari] had withdrawn $1.6 million from the FTB for his own personal use, but he did not yet return the money.”

“To claim the money back, the FTB owner sued him in the Municipal Court.”

Neither Cheasari nor his defence lawyers could be reached yesterday.

A representative for the FTB, a local state-private bank operating since 1979, could also could not be reached.