The Court of Appeal yesterday heard the bail request of the former director of the small Khmer Economic Development Party, who had been handed a sentence of two years in prison for defrauding a land buyer out of $150,000 in 2008.

Explaining the details of the case, presiding judge Plang Samnang said yesterday that when Chamroeun was running a land brokerage in Poipet town, he sold the same plot of land to two different buyers, and had been arrested when the plot’s first buyer notified authorities.

Without contesting the accusations, Chamroeun said yesterday that he was requesting bail in order to meet the obligations of the verdict against him.

“For this case, I am asking the court to let me out so that I can earn money to pay the compensation,” Chamroeun said, adding that he was in poor health.

Chamroeun’s attorney noted, however, that his client had no money with which to make a bail payment.

Prosecutor Im Sopharn, for his part, said that he would leave the decision to the court to decide on its legal merits.

A verdict is due to be handed down on September 14.