Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Pursat official allegedly stole more than $400K during tenure

Pursat official allegedly stole more than $400K during tenure

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
The ACU uncovered that Liem Bunroeun illegally acquired more than $400,000 through corruption during his three-year tenure. BOKORNEWS

Pursat official allegedly stole more than $400K during tenure

The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) uncovered that Pursat provincial Department of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction director Liem Bunroeun illegally acquired more than $400,000 through corruption during his three-year tenure.

A notice dated July 30, from the 48th meeting of the National Council’s 2nd mandate against corruption, said the ACU investigation uncovered that since 2016, Bunroeun had provided 140 illegal services, receiving about $384,000 through bribes in the process.

The total amount did not include a previous case that Bunroeun was being investigated for, in which he received more than $20,000 in bribes, found stashed in envelopes in his office on July 27.

Bunroeun was arrested for corruption on July 27 with two other senior officials from his department after the three were caught in a sting operation where they allegedly demanded a $100,000 bribe from a landowner in exchange for issuing a construction permit.

Cheang Vuthy, the Pursat provincial Department of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction deputy-director, and Tea Bun Theng, an administrative official in charge of the department’s One-Window services, were the two other officials allegedly involved.

On July 31, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court investigating judge ordered the three be detained in Prey Sar prison on charges of misappropriation of public funds under the Criminal Code, abuse of power under the Anti-Corruption Law, and money laundering under the Laws on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing for Terrorism.

“Overall, after searching Bunroeun’s office, we have seen that he has used ill-gotten money to repair a house for $40,000 and bought two houses for $168,000 and $72,000 [respectively], as well as land for $44,000.

“He also constructed a swallow house for $40,000 and bought a Lexus 570 and a Kia Picanto with his ill-gotten money,” the ACU said.

Transparency International Cambodia Executive Director Preap Kol said that departments such as the one run by Bunroeun are easy places in which to commit corruption.

“These institutions are lucrative places as they mostly sign or process property documents containing a substantial amount of money. It is an easy place to commit corruption,” he said.

Kol supported the ACU’s move to investigate Bunroeun. He said it was the right thing to do and that he wanted to see the effective implementation of similar action at other institutions to reduce and prevent corruption in Cambodia.

Though some measures were being taken, Kol said, there was still a lack of action in tackling corruption.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Siem Reap airport to close after new one opens

    After the new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) opens in October, the existing complex serving the northwestern province will be “completely closed”, according to State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha. SAI developer Angkor International Airport Investment (Cambodia) Co Ltd (AIAI) last month

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Rare plant fetches high prices from Thai, Chinese

    Many types of plants found in Cambodia are used as traditional herbs to treat various diseases, such as giloy or guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) or aromatic/sand ginger (Kaempferia galangal) or rough cocklebur (Xanthium Strumartium). There is also a plant called coral, which is rarely grown

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Cambodia returns 15M Covid jabs to China

    Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia will return 15 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to China for donation to other countries. The vaccines in question were ordered but had not yet arrived in Cambodia. While presiding over the Ministry of Health’s annual meeting held on