King Norodom Sihamoni has approved the retirement request of long-standing Supreme Court president Dith Munty, while another justice Chiv Keng has been made interim president.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said last week that several senior leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party had requested retirement owing to their age and health reasons. He named the Supreme Court president and Senate president as two members of his party who would retire.

The king signed a royal decree on August 11 approving the retirement request for Munty, who will relinquish his powerful position on August 15. The Justice Ministry also released a statement on August 14 announcing Supreme Court justice Chiv Keng, who is currently vice president, as the interim president of the high court.

Munty is the father of Dith Tina, who was made agriculture minister last year and was photographed as part of Hun Manet’s alleged new cabinet last week. Munty was part of a panel of judges that ruled unanimously to dissolve the Cambodia National Rescue Party in 2017 for allegedly mounting a so-called color revolution.

Hun Sen is orchestrating a generational transition in the CPP by replacing many of the old guard ministers with younger candidates, most of whom are the children or in-laws of outgoing ministers. Some of these changes extend to institutions outside the government, like the ascension of Chea Serey to head the National Bank of Cambodia to take over from her father Chea Chanto.