Cambodia Youth Party leader Pich Sros filed a lawsuit on Friday against activist monk But Buntenh and Pa Nguon Teang, founder of the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media, accusing the pair of embezzling money from the late Kem Ley’s funeral fund.

Ley, a frequent government critic, was shot dead last year in an assassination widely believed to be politically motivated. Buntenh and Nguon Teang, themselves often thorns in the government’s side, headed the fundraiser for Ley’s funeral.

“I would ask his excellency prosecutor to open an investigation to find the donation . . . in order to find justice for the donors,” the complaint reads.

Sros recently filed a lawsuit against CNRP President Kem Sokha and applauded his controversial arrest.

Analyst Meas Ny said Sros may be in cahoots with the ruling CPP. “We often see some political parties claim to be independent, but show some bias to one of the two major parties . . . It appears he’s more on the side of the CPP,” Ny said, adding the lawsuit was “clearly politically motivated”.

“Pich Sros is hired. Meet to File Lawsuit,” Buntenh wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday, referencing the alias given by Ley’s killer, “Choub Samlab” or “Meet to Kill”, whom many believe to be a hired hand.

Sros, however, denied the accusation. “I am an independent politician. I have no communication with the CPP,” he said.

Ley’s bother, Kem Rithyseth, said yesterday that he did not oppose the lawsuit and said it was Sros’s legal right.