The Phnom Penh Municipal court on Thursday sentenced Kruy Limheng, a former Cambodian consul in China’s Kunming city, to seven years in prison and fined him 10 million riel ($2,435) after two hearings on the case.

Deputy prosecutor and court spokesman Kuch Kimlong told The Post on Thursday that Limheng was convicted of four offences – embezzlement, withdrawing money over his limits, abuse of power and non-declaration of assets from 2015 to 2019.

Previously, Om Yentieng, head of the country’s Anti-corruption Unit (ACU), investigated Limheng and said he committed corruption between 2016 and 2018.

Yentieng said at the time that those crimes included extortion and abuse of power.

He stressed that Limheng used his power to withdraw money from the Consulate General of Cambodia from a Chinese bank through the illegal use of the “Consulate General’s stamp” for two months.

Limheng was removed from his position in 2018.

Am Sam Ath, senior technical officer with rights group Licadho, said the court’s conviction for corruption was a good example to set and that in the past, other ambassadors and consular officials had been convicted of corruption.

“It is a good example, but let this measure continue to apply to others, which means that whoever commits corruption, we must enforce the law regarding civil servants’ corruption [because it] destroys the national budget,” Sam Ath said.

He said the elimination of corruption is important for the development of Cambodia.

Sam Ath said the ACU had always taken action against corrupt officials and it should continue to continue the practice.