PHNOM PENH — The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has launched an official investigation into Sean Borat, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and Deputy Director of the ACU, and Sar Thavy, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of National Defense, over their alleged involvement in one of Cambodia’s largest financial fraud cases in recent years.
On July 3, the ACU confirmed that both senior officials are linked to a fraudulent investment scheme orchestrated by former tycoon Leng Channa, which affected more than 5,000 victims across Kampong Thom and Siem Reap provinces. The alleged scam involved hundreds of millions of dollars, much of it invested by Cambodian migrant workers in Korea, Japan, and Thailand.
According to the ACU, Borat and Thavy are being treated as suspects—not witnesses—by the court. Their summons, issued on December 2, 2024, are connected to multiple cases of aggravated fraud committed by a designated group operating in 2022.
So far, the investigation into Channa and 32 of her associates has yielded 32 case files comprising 24,852 pages of evidence. Ten ACU officers spent a month reviewing the material as part of the ongoing probe.
Channa was arrested on March 13, 2024, for issuing fake cheques and breach of trust after thousands of victims lodged complaints with the Siem Reap Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in early February. Her company allegedly promised monthly returns of $400 for every $10,000 invested but began defaulting on those payments in mid-2023, sparking protests and legal action.
Following the outcry, the court froze 183 bank accounts linked to Channa on April 17, 2024, and detained five individuals while issuing 26 arrest warrants for others in the network.
Am Sam Ath, Operations Director at the Cambodian human rights organization LICADHO, called for the investigation to be “thorough, transparent, and fair,” adding that it was crucial to restore public trust in national institutions. “The court must act swiftly to ensure justice for the victims,” he urged.
The scandal involving Borat and Thavy has cast a shadow over the government, raising concerns about systemic corruption and accountability at the highest levels.
The Channa case is part of a broader trend of fraudulent schemes. In May 2024, former real estate tycoon Hy Kimhong, Chairman of Piphup Deimeas Investment, was arrested for allegedly defrauding $21 million from 1,105 investors in Kampot province. Similarly, Chea Saron and eight staff were accused of conning nearly $40 million from 2,461 families through a land investment scam in the same region.
