An American lawyer representing former opposition leader Sam Rainsy confirmed yesterday that an official subpoena demanding Chevron release CCTV footage of Kem Ley’s murder was issued on Monday in California.

Chevron has 30 days to challenge the subpoena or supply the relevant evidence.

“Our communications to date have indicated that the company will likely challenge at least some parts of the subpoena,” said Rainsy’s lawyer, Eva Schueller, via email yesterday.

On Friday, California judge Donna Ryu approved Rainsy’s right to seek “audio and video recordings from July 1 through 14, 2016 at the Caltex station”, among other documents.

Ley was gunned down at a Chevron-owned Caltex station on July 10. Schueller and Rainsy believe the assassination was planned in advance, and Rainsy has called it a government-sponsored hit, which he hopes the extra two weeks of footage will help to prove.

People gather in huge numbers in Takeo province to commemorate the death of political analyst Kem Ley, who was shot dead at a Caltex store in Phnom Penh.Heng Chivoan

Gareth Johnstone, a Chevron spokesman, repeated claims yesterday that the company gave all copies of the footage to the Cambodian government, and declined to comment on the subpoena, directing questions to Cambodian authorities.

Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the police have no plans to release the footage, and bristled at the idea of US involvement.

“Chevron can do that but we do not obey,” he said. “The court of America has no right in Cambodia . . . We are not the 51st state of America.”