*US-Cambodian Businessman Jailed in $1M Fraud Case* http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/us-cambodian-businessman-jailed-in-1m-fraud-case-67507/ US-Cambodian Businessman Jailed in $1M Fraud Case | The Cambodia Daily <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/us-cambodian-businessman-jailed-in-1m-fraud-case-67507/>
[image: image] <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/us-cambodian-businessman-jailed-in-1m-fraud-case-67507/> US-Cambodian Businessman Jailed in $1M Fraud Case |... <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/us-cambodian-businessman-jailed-in-1m-fraud-case-67507/> US-Cambodian Businessman Jailed in $1M Fraud Case By Simon Henderson and Hay Pisey | September 4, 2014 View on www.cambodiadaily.com <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/us-cambodian-businessman-jailed-in-1m-fraud-case-67507/> Preview by Yahoo US-Cambodian Businessman Jailed in $1M Fraud Case By Simon Henderson <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/author/simon-henderson/> and Hay Pisey <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/author/hay-pisey/> | September 4, 2014 Prominent Cambodian-American businessman Richer San was arrested Wednesday morning in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district and sent to PJ Prison for his alleged role in defrauding dentist Eng Lykuong of $1 million, officials said. On August 21, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. San, who was summoned for questioning a month earlier along with three other well-connected businessmen—Sichan Siv, formerly a U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and author of the renowned Khmer Rouge survival memoir “Golden Bones”; New York State Assemblyman William Nojay and Thomas Willems, a former director of the NGO Cambodia International Education Support Foundation-USA. [image: Cambodian-American businessman Richer San leaves the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday evening following his arrest earlier in the day over his role in allegedly defrauding Phnom Penh dentist Eng Lykuong of $1 million. (Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily)] Cambodian-American businessman Richer San leaves the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday evening following his arrest earlier in the day over his role in allegedly defrauding Phnom Penh dentist Eng Lykuong of $1 million. (Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily) The arrest of Mr. San follows a complaint filed with the court by Ms. Lykuong, who claims the men conned her into investing $1 million in their company, Akra Agricultural Partners, by peddling a number of phony business deals. “Mr. San Richer was arrested over accusations of fraud on Wednesday morning in front of Chaktomuk police office in Daun Penh district’s Chaktomuk commune while he was driving a car accompanied by his wife,” said Sar Piseth, deputy chief of the municipal police’s warrant execution bureau, who made the arrest. Mr. San and his wife, Sithea San—a power couple in the Cambodian-American community—founded the business hub Cambodia Town in Long Beach, California, but have lived in Phnom Penh since 2012. Outside the courtroom Wednesday, Mr. San’s wife declined to comment on her husband’s role in the case but said he was cooperating with the court. “We are good people and we are honest people and we will do things right,” she said. When Mr. San emerged from the investigating judge’s office just before 6 p.m., he denied the charge against him and said he trusted the court to clear his name. “Innocent until proven guilty,” he said. “She [Ms. Lykuong] is the one who should be answering questions…but I still believe in the Cambodian justice system.” Mr. San said he had had no recent contact with the co-accused. “I am the one who is here, I don’t know about them. I am very disappointed—I have given so much to the country of my birth,” he said before being hurried into a police Land Cruiser and driven to the minimum-security PJ Prison. Ms. Lykuong said Wednesday that Mr. San’s role in the alleged fraud was now for the court to determine. “He can continue denying the allegation but I will leave it up to the court to decide and find me justice,” Ms. Lykuong said in an email. She said despite Mr. San’s arrest, she remained distressed, as the other three defendants have yet to be brought to court. “My justice has not been fully served yet. The case is very complex and painful for me,” she said. Ms. Lykuong’s lawyer, Orn Hing, said Wednesday that of the four summoned for questioning, only Mr. San was present in Cambodia. “Mr. Thomas Willems went to Thailand and Mr. Sichan Siv has gone to the USA,” he said. Mr. Nojay resides in New York. Mr. Hing said that Mr. San was arrested Wednesday after filing a complaint with the Appeal Court, following his receipt of an initial summons by the Phnom Penh court, challenging its stipulation that he must remain in Cambodia. “The Phnom Penh Municipal court issued a summons, but Mr. San did not go to the court—that is why he was arrested by the municipal police, in case he might escape going to court,” he said. Investigating Judge Oeung Sieng could not be reached. Mr. Siv and Mr. Nojay have not responded to multiple requests for comment. Mr. Willems also could not be reached. *[email protected] <[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>* -- Best Regards, *Khmer Forum* *A place for sharing community events and public news.* On Tue, Sep 2, 2014 at 1:12 PM, Khmer Forum <[email protected]> wrote: > *Former US Diplomat Accused in $1M Fraud Case* > By Phorn Bopha <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/author/phorn-bopha/> and Simon > Henderson <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/author/simon-henderson/> | > September 1, 2014 > > http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/former-us%E2%80%88diplomat-accused-in-1m-fraud-case-67342/ > > Former US Diplomat Accused in $1M Fraud Case | The Cambodia Daily > <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/former-us%E2%80%88diplomat-accused-in-1m-fraud-case-67342/> > > > [image: image] > <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/former-us%E2%80%88diplomat-accused-in-1m-fraud-case-67342/> > > > > > > Former US Diplomat Accused in $1M Fraud Case | The ... > <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/former-us%E2%80%88diplomat-accused-in-1m-fraud-case-67342/> > Former US Diplomat Accused in $1M Fraud Case By Phorn Bopha and Simon > Henderson | September 1, 2014 > > View on www.cambodiadaily.com > <http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/former-us%E2%80%88diplomat-accused-in-1m-fraud-case-67342/> > Preview by Yahoo > > > > Sichan Siv, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., was summoned by the > Phnom Penh Municipal Court last month and ordered to remain in Cambodia > following allegations that he and two business partners defrauded a Phnom > Penh dentist out of $1 million, officials have confirmed. > > The order came after a complaint was filed by Eng Lykuong, owner of Master > Care Dental Clinic in Chamkar Mon district, who alleges that in 2012, the > businessmen conned her into investing $1 million in an agricultural firm, > Akra Agriculture Partners, which has remained inactive since she invested. > > Mr. Siv, a Cambodian-American, served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N.’s > Economic and Social Council from 2001 to 2006 and is the author of the > celebrated Khmer Rouge survival memoir “Golden Bones.” In 2012, he returned > to Cambodia and began to promote Akra, which was registered in the U.S. and > billed as an ambitious rice farmers’ cooperative that would help maximize > profits for Cambodians on the lowest rung of the economic ladder. > > Mr. Siv and his partners—prominent Cambodian-American businessman San > Richer, New York State Assemblyman William Nojay and Thomas Willems, former > director of the Cambodia International Education Support > Foundation-USA—were summoned by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on July 7 > and ordered to remain in Cambodia, according to a letter signed by deputy > prosecutor Buninh Bunnary. > > “The prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court has summoned San Richer, > Sichan Siv, Thomas A. Willems, and William R. Nojay to come to the court to > answer questions regarding the complaint by Eng Lykuong,” the letter states. > > It also orders judicial police to “monitor all the routes, in the air, on > the ground or on the water, to prevent [the accused]…from leaving Cambodia > for other countries temporarily.” > > Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak confirmed that the ministry was > following the court order, but said that Mr. Siv and Mr. Willems had left > the country before it was issued, while Mr. Richer and Mr. Nojay had > remained in the U.S. > > “The court ordered [Mr. Siv] to not leave the country, but he was already > abroad before it was issued,” General Sopheak said. “If he were a resident > of Cambodia, then we could do something, but he is a U.S. citizen and he > lives in the U.S. > > “If he lived in Cambodia, then we could do something,” he added. > > Ms. Lykuong said she visited two companies in Cambodia with Mr. Siv and > Mr. Willems, which they claimed had signed business agreements with Akra. > She said Mr. Siv’s reputation convinced her that the investment opportunity > was genuine. > > “I read his book and knew his profile—that’s why I put down $1 million,” > she said in an interview Friday. > > “I sold a plot of my land to get the cash to wire it to the U.S…. I did > not think that he would damage his profile for such a thing.” > > The dentist said she wired $1 million in three installments in late 2012 > and early 2013 to help complete the necessary $4 million capital investment > required to establish the company. Under the deal, she was supposed to be > made a member of the board of directors. But it quickly became apparent > that something was amiss, she said. > > The new company’s first board meeting “was supposed to take place a few > weeks after sending the money but it never took place,” Ms. Lykuong said, > adding that she subsequently discovered that the company was not > operational and that the supposed deals with Cambodian businesses had been > fabricated. > > “If the start-up business had failed and gone bankrupt, I was prepared for > it and would have accepted it. But they set up a fake company to trick > people out of money,” she said, adding that she has since spent $60,000 in > legal fees. > > “I filed the complaint so that they will be brought to justice and pay me > back the money and a [$200,000] fine. Returning the money is not enough. > They have to be punished accordingly,” she said. > > Mr. Siv did not respond to multiple emails requesting comment. Ing Kereya, > a lawyer for Mr. Willems and Mr. San, declined to comment. > > One of the companies the men claimed to have struck a deal with, according > to Ms. Lykuong, was Sok Keo Import Export Co. > > El Roisat, Sok Keo’s sales and marketing manager, said Sunday that he met > with Akra representatives in early 2013 but soon became suspicious. > > “They said their company was registered in the U.S., but when I typed > their company’s name in the U.S. business website, which registers > thousands of companies, I did not see their company,” Mr. Roisat said, > adding that their proposal was also unorthodox. > > “They proposed to buy rice at $900 per ton, but offered us a greater share > of the benefits if they could make $1,600 per ton—but they would only pay > us the money later if they sold all the rice,” he said. > > Kim Savuth, president of the Federation of Cambodian Rice Exporters, said > that Akra had approached him a few years ago and that he had been initially > intrigued with the company’s plan to create large-scale cooperatives. > > But his optimism rapidly faded. > > “First, [Mr. Siv] said they wanted to help us grow more rice and that they > [would] help us do this, allowing us to pay back what we owed them in rice, > instead of cash, over a 10-year period,” Mr. Savuth said. > > “But then they asked us to put forward money to create the co-ops, and we > explained that the farmers are too poor and already owe a lot of money to > the bank,” he said, adding that no agreement was ever reached. > > Government spokesman Phay Siphan, who at one point acted as a liaison > between the plaintiff and Akra’s partners, declined to discuss the case. > > “The U.S. citizen San Richer is a friend, but this is a private matter and > both sides are being represented by their lawyers,” he said. > > *[email protected] <[email protected]>, > [email protected] <[email protected]>* > -- > > Best Regards, > > *Khmer Forum* > *A place for sharing community events and public news.* > > On Tuesday, September 2, 2014 9:00 AM, chathsun via CNRP World < > [email protected]> wrote: > > Are these people thieves or what? Send them all to be jailed in Cambodia. > > > http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/former-us%E2%80%88diplomat-accused-in-1m-fraud-case-67342/ > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "CNRP World" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cnrpworld. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cnrpworld/1409668895.12122.YahooMailNeo%40web120602.mail.ne1.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cnrpworld/1409668895.12122.YahooMailNeo%40web120602.mail.ne1.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. 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