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Cambodian court sentences deputy opposition leader to 5 months in prison

Xinhua, September 9, 2016 Adjust font size:

A Cambodian court on Friday afternoon sentenced, in absentia, deputy opposition leader Kem Sokha to five months in prison for "refusal to appear" in court over a prostitution case, a spokesman said.

"(Phnom Penh Municipal Court's) Presiding Judge Keo Mony announced the verdict which sentences Kem Sokha to five months in jail and fines him 800,000 riel (200 U.S. dollars) for refusal to appear in court," the court's deputy prosecutor and spokesman Ly Sophanna told reporters.

The verdict was issued after a hearing on Friday morning in which neither Kem Sokha nor his lawyers appeared.

Hundreds of opposition supporters were gathering at the headquarters of opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) on the southern outskirts of Phnom Penh to protect Kem Sokha, who has been holed up at the party's headquarters since May 26 in fear of arrest.

Kim Santhepheap, a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, told local media that there will be no immediate arrest of Kem Sokha and the deputy opposition leader has a month to file an appeal before the verdict comes into force.

CNRP's vice president Kem Sokha was charged with "refusal to appear" on May 26 after he ignored two court summonses.

The accusation against Kem Sokha stems from leaked audio clips of telephone conversation between him and his alleged mistress in February. In the clips, they discussed sex, pregnancy and paying for an apartment.

Kem Sokha has not publicly commented on the veracity of the audio recordings, instead advising his supporters not to respond to provocation. Enditem