Experiences with Cambodian legal system

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daeum_tnaot
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Experiences with Cambodian legal system

Post by daeum_tnaot »

Hello forum members,

I'd like to canvass the members here to see whether any of you have had experience with the courts in Cambodia (or perhaps any preliminary institutions like the Prosecutor) ?

Has anyone ever had to go to court or pursue a case in court and what was your experience? What was the result?

I ask out of a combination of personal research as well as a potential practical application. What I have always heard is that it is very expensive to pursue a case in court, and that your case will basically just "sit" until you pay for it to "move". Presumably it is the court clerk that is doing this but not sure.

That said, hearsay is not always fact, and I wonder if anyone has actually had experience that could bear out the commonly held attitudes about the court system. If you know of any Khmer people and what their experience was that would also be interesting.
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fax
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Re: Experiences with Cambodian legal system

Post by fax »

daeum_tnaot wrote: Fri Oct 11, 2019 2:08 pm I have always heard is that it is very expensive to pursue a case in court
How expensive did you hear that it is?
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Re: Experiences with Cambodian legal system

Post by daeum_tnaot »

I believe I have heard that it costs $10,000 to get a case to move forward.
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lostjeremy
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Re: Experiences with Cambodian legal system

Post by lostjeremy »

Yes...my father in law was murdered by a police officer whose father is very high up and connected.
We came to a civil and criminal agreement quickly and it was all over within 6 months and we were satisfied with the outcome.
We paid a reputable lawyer $2k upfront, told him if anyone in the system asks for extra money you can do whatever you want but we won't give anymore money. He was OK with that.
If your dealing with a criminal case against someone else just make sure you show up to every hearing or else the court will think no one cares about the case.

Sent from my CPH1823 using Tapatalk

daeum_tnaot
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Re: Experiences with Cambodian legal system

Post by daeum_tnaot »

Thanks, that's an interesting story and it would seem that $2k is a reasonable amount to handle both a civil and criminal case. Did you actually have to show up in court or was it settled out of court?
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lostjeremy
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Re: Experiences with Cambodian legal system

Post by lostjeremy »

Civil was settled in the lawyer offices.

Criminal had to show up and just make our presence known in the courtroom and that we were interested in seeing justice served.

He will be in the resort prison for quite a long time.



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newkidontheblock
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Re: Experiences with Cambodian legal system

Post by newkidontheblock »

Missus family had an open and shut case with a family member. NGO took up the cause. Local court tried to settle, NGO moved it to Phnom Penh for a judge to hear. Then the case fell apart in front of the judge. Said NGO was extremely displeased with the family and the outcome.
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Sweet Lemon
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Re: Experiences with Cambodian legal system

Post by Sweet Lemon »

newkidontheblock wrote: Sat Oct 12, 2019 4:22 am Missus family had an open and shut case with a family member. NGO took up the cause. Local court tried to settle, NGO moved it to Phnom Penh for a judge to hear. Then the case fell apart in front of the judge. Said NGO was extremely displeased with the family and the outcome.
What kind of case against a family member would an NGO get involved in?
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Re: Experiences with Cambodian legal system

Post by daeum_tnaot »

newkidontheblock wrote: Sat Oct 12, 2019 4:22 am Missus family had an open and shut case with a family member. NGO took up the cause. Local court tried to settle, NGO moved it to Phnom Penh for a judge to hear. Then the case fell apart in front of the judge. Said NGO was extremely displeased with the family and the outcome.
Based on what you said, I think you mean that the local court tried to settle it outside of court, or else find a settlement that was not following the punishments laid down in the law.

And when you say the case fell apart, you mean that for whatever reason it was not as the family had said and the person could not longer be prosecuted as anticipated.... Sound about right?
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