Disgraced former Phnom Penh Municipal Court president Ang Maltey is set to be tried today at Kandal Provincial Court for allegedly giving an Audi SUV taken from a convicted drug trafficker to his son.

Yesterday, Kandal prison chief Chab Sineang said the former judge had returned to his cell after a stint in hospital in order to attend the hearing, which will be presided over by deputy provincial court judge Ngoun Vuthy.

Maltey, who faces an embezzlement charge in the case, was arrested in August following an investigation into his conduct as a judge.

The probe followed Maltey’s ousting as court president in February last year, after Prime Minister Hun Sen suggested he had taken a bribe to release the parents of tycoon Thong Sarath, who is accused of plotting the murder of Ung Meng Cheu.

The former judge has not been charged over the alleged bribe, though his bodyguard and Sarath’s mother have.

Ministry of Justice spokesman Chin Malin said Maltey was being prosecuted in Kandal to avoid bias in the case.

“He used to work in Phnom Penh, his old subordinates are there. There are people who love him and people who hate him, which might affect the decision,” Malin said. “To make it fair and balanced, we sent the case to another court.’