Two more officials were yesterday tried for allegedly defaming senator and business tycoon Keo Mally by publishing material alleging she had an affair with Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Seak Socheath.

Ministry of Interior police official Lieutenant Colonel Pheng Vannak, 45, and armed forces Brigadier General Hang Borey, 54 – also an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen – are accused of publishing “false and defamatory information” on Facebook.

Their trial began a day after Prum San, of the Ministry of Information, and Mom Manuth, Socheath’s ex-wife, were convicted for initially spreading the rumours, which both Mally and Socheath have denied.

According to judge Top Chhun Heng, Vannak allegedly shared San’s post on his Facebook page, while Borey is accused of posting comments through two different accounts about the alleged affair.

One of the messages linked to Borey said Socheath and Keo Mally were not husband and wife, and hadn’t committed adultery, but were “friends” who had sex, the court heard.

Another alleged the pair had been intimate for “a long time”.

Borey, however, denied the allegation, saying her own personal Facebook account and another named “Grandmother Tep” were hacked.

“[Other people] have posted those messages,” Borey said.

Vannak – who is also accused of sending a death threat to opposition deputy president Kem Sokha via Facebook – yesterday confessed to sharing San’s post, but said he did not intend to defame Mally.