The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday charged Nuon Pok, the former director of the Preah Sihanouk provincial Department of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction on three accounts of abusing power, violating natural resources and forging documents.

This comes after Pok was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) on Sunday.

Court spokesperson Kuch Kimlong said after hours of questioning, the prosecutor decided to hold Pok in pre-trial detention based on the charges.

“Having been charged by the prosecutor for abusing power, violating natural resources and forging documents, an investigative judge has had him detained pending further legal action,” he said.

On Sunday, the ACU’s investigation department director Kem Sopheap led a joint force to detain Pok at his home in the province and then sent him to be questioned at the unit in the capital.

Pok was in office as the department’s director in the province from 2016 to 2018.

Kimlong said the ACU had concluded questioning Pok and sent him to court on Thursday.

On February 27, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced Lim Bunroeurn to eight years in prison after the former director of the Pursat provincial Department of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, was convicted on charges of money laundering, power abuse and misappropriation.

He and two other officials were arrested by the ACU in July last year in Pursat province.