The suspect allegedly duped a Chinese national out of nearly $3 million from the sale of 91ha in Kampong Speu province in August. national police
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court is questioning a 55-year-old man who works at the Ministry of Interior and is accused of cheating a Chinese national out of nearly $3 million in a fraudulent land deal.
Court spokesperson Kuch Kimlong told The Post on Sunday that the court is still questioning the suspect after his arrest on Saturday at his home in Tuol Tompoung commune by National Military Police in cooperation with Kandal Provincial Gendarmerie.
“Since the suspect’s arrest, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court is still questioning him,” he said.
According to a lawsuit filed by Jai Houming on January 22, the suspect duped him out of nearly $3 million in the sale of 91ha in Kampong Speu province in August. Jai sued the suspect and his companions for alleged fraud and conspiracy.
According to the lawsuit, Jai came to know the suspect through a Chinese woman and several other companions who work at the Ministry of Interior.
The Chinese woman claimed the suspect had a piece of land in Por Mreal commune in Kampong Speu, which totalled more than 33ha.
“Then the suspect and his entourage arranged for us to meet at the Ministry of Interior to discuss the conditions to purchase the land. The suspect claimed he owned more than 33ha.
“The suspect then showed the land location markers with the signature and stamp of the Por Mreal commune chief, which is why I believed the land mentioned belonged to the suspect. So I agreed to sign the sale and buy the land from the suspect with a Ministry of Interior official issuing the contract guarantee.
“Therefore, I was even more confident in the person and subsequently handed over a total of $2 million to buy the land,” the lawsuit said.
After that, Jai claimed the suspect persuaded him to buy another 58ha adjoining the first plot.
“I also agreed to buy more land and deposited $800,000 through the Chinese woman to Keo Monyroth, with the Chinese woman providing a thumbprint on behalf of the suspect on Real Estate Agreements dated August 3, 2019.
“The suspect then added another $100,000 to build a bridge across a river at the two land locations.
“By January 20, I was informed that the land that the suspect sold me was involved in a dispute with citizens who were the real owners. All of this caused me great shock over the perfidy of the suspect, who plotted to act as a landowner to defraud me of $2.9 million,” Jai said.
