Cambodia is close to enacting a dedicated telecom fraud law, which would be the first of its kind in the region, with potential penalties of life imprisonment. According to Koet Rith, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, the Anti-Telecom Fraud Law has been approved by cabinet and is currently under review by the legislative and judicial committee of the National Assembly.
According to government officials, the law was enacted in response to the increasing amount of scams and fraud occurring within the telecommunications sector and will prevent criminals from reorganizing after recent crackdowns.
Those who operate or manage scam centers could face lengthy prison terms as defined in the draft legislation. Individuals that create or manage these types of facilities would be sentenced to between 5 and 10 years in prison. However, if the operation includes unlawful detention or extortion or homicide, the sentence could extend from 30 years to life in prison.
The bill will establish penalties for those who recruit or train individuals to be involved in fraudulent operations and will hold landlords and property owners accountable for leasing property to fraudulent operations. The legislation will create an offense for five categories of individuals.
This initiative is in response to numerous comments made publicly by Prime Minister Hun Manet saying that there is an actual and continuing campaign by the government to deal with the problem of cable fraud and not just for show. The Prime Minister has stated that this is not only a Cambodian problem but one that has harmed Cambodia’s international standing, therefore the reform has the authority of being a political one.
The speed at which the bill can be processed by the appropriate committee(s) so it can reach the National Assembly will determine the immediate future state of these events. The length of the life sentences and severe fines to those involved in serious cases of fraud reflects the government’s increased efforts to stop the #1 fraud hub in Cambodia along with their supporters.
