A Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor has summoned Sam Rainsy, the “acting president” of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), for questioning over his claim that Minister of Interior Sar Kheng supported a revenge plot against Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The summons, which was dated Monday and received by The Post on Wednesday, said prosecutor Seng Kim Lak called Rainsy, who he referred to as a “suspect”, to appear in court on the morning of July 31.

The summons came after a complaint was filed by three lawyers, Hak Seakly, Pich Soriya, Chao Bun Huon, representing plaintiff Sar Kheng.

“The individual has to come on time following this summons and bring documents relevant to the case if possible,” the summons stated.

Prosecutor Seng Kim Lak also informed the chief of the Phnom Penh police of the case and told officers “to implement the case according to procedure”.

The prosecutor also invited Sar Kheng’s three lawyers to attend court next Wednesday to elaborate on their case.

Last week, Sar Kheng filed a complaint against Rainsy over the co-founder of the Supreme Court-dissolved CNRP’s allegation that Dy Vichea, the son of former police chief Hok Lundy and the son-law of Hun Sen, was plotting revenge against the prime minister over the death of his father.

Rainsy alleged Hun Sen was behind the helicopter crash that killed Lundy in 2008. He also claimed Sar Kheng supported Vichea’s bid for revenge.

Sar Kheng on Monday said he had filed the complaint against Rainsy in order to remind politicians to be moral and professional and stop inventing fake news.

Seakly, one of Sar Kheng’s lawyers, said on Wednesday that as per procedure, the prosecutor would ask further questions regarding the complaint and whether the plaintiff had changed his mind.

“Nothing has changed – we still keep our position of finding justice for [Sar Kheng],” Seakly said.

He said he had submitted evidence to the court when filing the complaint, including an audio recording of Rainsy and his Facebook post making the allegation.

Rainsy told The Post via email on Wednesday that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) should use his “very popular video clip, with more than 1.8 million viewers”, to better substantiate their “incitement” charge against him.

“Sar Kheng will be more seriously affected by my accusations in this video clip,” he said, referring to an attached link to comments he made on May 6.

In the video, Rainsy says the CPP “was to implode”, with Sar Kheng sharing with him a dislike of Hun Sen.

Rainsy says Sar Kheng and Hun Sen’s relationship had deteriorated to the point where they “could no longer look at each other”.

“Sar Kheng knows that one day Hun Sen will depose him from positions of power one by one,” Rainsy says in the video.