The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Wednesday placed a Ministry of Interior official in pre-trial detention after he was arrested on Tuesday afternoon for allegedly defrauding a man of $20,000 on the pretext of processing documents to enable him to enter into the National Police framework.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesman Kuch Kimlong told The Post on Wednesday that the defendant was identified as Hok Kimsay, 50, a member of the Legal Council at the Ministry of Interior who resided at the capital’s Boeung Keng Kang III commune, in Boeung Keng Kang district.

“Investigating Judge Seng Rithy decided to place the suspect in pre-trial detention on a charge of fraud.

“Following questioning, the investigating judge ordered the judicial police to take him to be detained at Prey Sar prison, pending a hearing at a later date,” he said.

Maing Sok Luch, the chief of the Phnom Penh Military Police’s Anti-Crime Bureau, told The Post on Wednesday that two years ago, Kimsay cheated a man named Men Chanveasna out of $20,000, promising that he would help process documents to enter him into the National Police framework.

After receiving money from the victim, Sok Luch said, the suspect failed to fulfil the promise laid out in their contract.

“To avoid responsibility, the suspect always turned off his phone. After Chanveasna lost hope that he would be able to get the money back, he filed a complaint at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court alleging fraud.

“However, for the past two years, the suspect failed to appear as summoned by the court until it issued an arrest warrant,” he said.

Sok Luch said that during questioning, Kimsay confessed to the crime but said he had only received $3,000 and gave the other $17,000 to the son of a senior official to help process the documents,” he said.

Sok Luch said the authorities were continuing to investigate the case and planned to arrest other parties who were involved and hold them accountable under the law.