Call for action in KRT’s 004

Friday, 17 June 2011
James O'Toole
Phnom Penh Post

Khmer Rouge tribunal co-prosecutor Andrew Cayley has called for additional investigation in the court’s controversial fourth case, the latest salvo in his ongoing struggle with the tribunal’s investigating judges.

In a statement issued yesterday, Cayley said he had filed a “supplementary submission” in the case that expands on the alleged crimes initially listed by the prosecution, and a related request for investigative action.

“The Supplementary Submission adds additional crimes to Case 004, including crimes committed against the Khmer Krom population in Takeo and Pursat provinces, based primarily on civil party applications, complaints and other new evidence the International Co-Prosecutor became aware of subsequent to the original filing of the Case 004 Introductory Submission,” Cayley said.

International prosecutors made this introductory submission, lacking support from their Cambodian counterparts, in 2009.

Cayley added that he planned to request that the court’s co-investigating judges, Siegfried Blunk of Germany and You Bunleng of Cambodia, “notify the public and potential civil parties of the specific crime sites that are included in both the Introductory and Supplementary Submissions in Case 004”.

The tribunal has been embroiled in controversy of late over the investigating judges’ apparent failure to properly investigate the court’s third case.

The judges concluded their investigation in April without even questioning suspects, prompting allegations that they had sabotaged the case under pressure from the Cambodian government, which opposes prosecutions beyond the upcoming Case 002.

Staff from the judges’ office have begun resigning in protest over the abortive 003 investigation, which remains officially confidential but feat-ures KR military commanders Meas Mut and Sou Met.

Case 004 involves a trio of mid-level KR officials, and analysts say it appears headed for dismissal as well.