Muslim Leader Found Guilty of Defamation
Handing
down its decision in a dispute between two of the country’s most
prominent Muslim politicians, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Monday
found Social Affairs Ministry Secretary of State Ahmad Yahya guilty of
defaming Othsman Hassan, his counterpart in the Labor Ministry.
Mr.
Yahya was ordered to pay 100 million riel, or about $25,000, in
compensation to Mr. Hassan, well below the $1 million that he had
requested upon filing the complaint.
The
dispute centered around claims that Mr. Yahya made in an interview in
April accusing Mr. Hassan of organizing and benefiting from a
controversial road project that would cross into the compound of the
iconic Al-Serkal Mosque in Phnom Penh’s Boeng Kak neighborhood.
“There
is no one other than Othsman Hassan who drew up the plan and gave it to
City Hall to have it passed,” Mr. Yahya told the Thmey Thmey news
service on April 28, going on to suggest that Mr. Hassan was also
involved in plans for a private condominium development on the land.
Presiding Judge Long Kesphirum announced on Monday that the claims amounted to defamation.
“After
review of the evidence from the plaintiff and listening to the
defendant, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court has decided to fine Ahmad
Yahya 5 million riel (about $1,250)…and compensate the victim, Othsman
Hassan, with 100 million riel,” the judge told the court.
Speaking
to reporters outside the courthouse, Mr. Yahya held up a handful of
documents and said that his claims about Mr. Hassan’s involvement in the
road plans, which have divided the city’s Muslim community, were
demonstrably true.
“What I said
is true about Othsman Hassan providing his assistance,” he said,
explaining that he had given the court a map of the road plan that he
said was drawn by Mr. Hassan and his assistants.
“They
claimed the decision was based on evidence, so how about our evidence?”
he said. “Did they review it and process it for this case?”
Mr. Hassan could not be reached on Monday.
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