Cambodian King grants pardon to opposition's commune chief

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Wednesday signed a royal decree to deliver a pardon to opposition's commune chief Seang Chet at the request of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

In the royal decree, the monarch granted amnesty to convict Seang Chet, 44, who was convicted by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Dec. 5, 2016 to five years in prison for bribery.

"Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen of the Kingdom of Cambodia must take responsibility to implement this royal decree from the day of signature," the king wrote.

Seang Chet was arrested and charged in April after being accused of bribing 500 U.S. dollars to hairdresser Khom Chandaraty, alleged mistress of Kem Sokha, deputy leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), to deny her alleged affair with Sokha.

The alleged sex scandal between Chandaraty and Sokha came to light in February when leaked audio clips of telephone conversation between them went viral on the Internet. In the clips, they discussed sex, pregnancy and paying for an apartment.

Sokha, 63, was also pardoned by the king on Friday last week after the Appeals Court convicted him last month of "refusal to appear" in court over a prostitution case involving his alleged mistress. He returned to the parliament on Wednesday after having boycotted it since October last year.

Currently, four local human rights officers and an election official are still in a pre-trial detention on the same charges of bribing Chandaraty to deny her alleged affair with Sokha.

source: Xinhua