Jailed Sam Rainsy Party Senator Hong Sok Hour was yesterday once again denied bail by the Supreme Court and further ordered to provide his personal computer to investigators.
Sok Hour had presented two appeals before the court – one requesting bail and another that would disallow investigators from taking his personal computer as evidence, instead proposing they use the internet to verify contested documents. Both petitions were rejected yesterday.
“The court cannot release the accused on bail. It is to protect his safety and to make it easy for judges to continue further questioning,” Supreme Court judge Seong Panhavuth said.
The SRP senator is facing trial for forging a public document, using a forged document and incitement to cause serious unrest, after posting a “fake” section of the Vietnam-Cambodia border treaty on his Facebook page.
Panhavuth also ordered Sok Hour to hand over his computer as requested.
On leaving court, Sok Hour said he wasn’t surprised at the ruling.
“It is not surprising because it is a politically motivated case and we have known that all along,” he said.
