The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the conviction of disgraced former Phnom Penh Police Chief Heng Pov, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2008 for the attempted murder of an Electricité du Cambodge worker.

Arguments on the appeal were heard on November 29, with Judge Kem Sathavy yesterday announcing that the municipal court’s initial decision was “right”, and would therefore be upheld.

The case was related to the attempted murder of Electricité du Cambodge worker Kem Daravuth in 2005.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court previously convicted Pov of ordering the killing of Daravuth, who was shot in the neck and left paralysed, after the electricity worker cut off Pov’s power after failing to pay a series of bills.

The court also upheld the same conviction for two others implicated in the crime, Hang Vuthy and Am Samkheng.

The Supreme Court upheld a separate conviction for Pov of 16 to 18 years in prison over the 1998 attempted murder of Uy Pang, publisher of Koh Santepheap newspaper.

Pov is serving a 103-year prison term for a number of crimes, including murder, extortion, illegal detention and possession of counterfeit money.