School Scam; Staff Take the Money and Run

[CEOCambodiaNews]

Cambodia News (Svay Rieng): A 35-year-old man, Neas Isy, the Principal of Golden Bridge International School, scammed more than one hundred people in Svay Rieng. On October 25, at 9 am, the victims,who were the students' parents and relatives, went to the school and asked the authorities for help.

Mrs. Kong Manich, 52 years old, the owner of the property, said she rented that house to the suspect, Neas Isy, who lives in Phnom Penh, for 400 USD per month and made a contract for three years. After running the school for three months, the suspect and his staff ran away. All the teachers and a couple from Kampong Cham, who were the school accountants, took all the money and ran away.

Mrs. Koe Sinan, 62 years old, said she got scammed by the school for 1,200 USD. She paid for her four grandkids. At first, she paid 200 USD for each kid, and after six months, the school told her to pay more for the school year 2020. Two of those kids got a scholarship. The kids' parents were factory workers who wanted them to get a good education, so they took them to study there.

A man named Sa Vath said the school originally opened at Svat village, and then after two months, it moved to Svay Rieng village. After six months, on October 25, the teacher took the students to study at another school. Then, the school closed and took all the money away. There were more than 100 students, and one student paid between 350 USD to 400 USD for a year's schooling upfront.

The parents wanted to file a complaint at the police station, but the police told them to go to the Ministry of Education. The victims requested the authorities to search for the suspects, and get their money back. Many of the families are poor.