A Koh Rong commune councilor sentenced to prison for forging documents that were used to grab more than 500 hectares of land on the island was given a pardon last November, according to book 91 of the Royal Gazette.

Seng Hourleang was a commune councilor in Preah Sihanouk’s Koh Rong commune when he was arrested in 2019 along with four other government officials and notorious businessperson Sok Bun for land grabs.

All six were convicted for forging documents, abuse of power, embezzlement and misuse of public funds for offenses between 2016 and 2019, when allegedly more than 500 hectares of land was grabbed on the island.

Hourleang was sentenced to seven years in prison. A royal decree signed by the king on November 6, 2022, and published in June this year pardons Hourleang with no mention of why the pardon was issued.

Royal pardons are often issued during major festivals in the calendar year, like the pardons given to 608 convicted individuals over the Visak Bochea festival last year. While one-off pardons are rarer, they are typically issued in politically sensitive cases and with the recommendation of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Sok Bun, who is an oknha and one of the six convicted people, was previously convicted and sentenced to prison for a vicious attack on a Cambodian TV host that was caught on CCTV cameras.

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