The Supreme Court yesterday denied a bail application for four staffers from rights group Adhoc and an election official, saying the lower court was still conducting its investigation and that their release “will cause social insecurity”.

The five – Adhoc staffers Yi Soksan, Lim Mony, Ny Sokha and Nay Vanda, and National Election Committee official Ny Chakrya – have been in pre-trial detention since May in relation to a bribery case, widely believed to be politically motivated, relating to opposition leader Kem Sokha’s alleged sex scandal.

Presiding judge Kim Sathavy said he was upholding the Appeal Court’s decision to deny bail in order to ensure that the detainees do not interfere with the investigation process.

On hearing the decision, Soksan said the decision was unacceptable. “So we can see that this decision is related to the political situation. Therefore, when the situation becomes less intense, we will be released,” he said.

Vanda said that he was not shocked by the decision because “the court is remotely controlled”.