Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet has rejected a baseless report of the Cambodia Daily and called on this radio station to stop fabricating stories to harm his honour and dignity.
‘It is again and again a degrading act that The Cambodia Daily, a Khmer-language foreign radio station, has fabricated false stories with the aim of slandering, attacking and destroying the honuor and dignity of me and my family,’ said the Premier on his social media networks this evening.
Today, he continued, The Cambodia Daily wrote an article alleging bribery by H.E. Kun Nhim, Director General of the General Department of Customs and Excise, (GDCE) to delay his retirement until 2028, which violated the principles of the former Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen allowing H.E. Kun Nhim to retire in 2025.
‘I would like to emphaise that, as the Prime Minister of the 6th Legislature (of National Assembly), Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen has agreed to extend H.E. Kun Nhim’s retirement until 2028 at
the request of H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth (Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Finance) on Dec. 19, 2022.
‘As the Head of the Royal Government of the 7th Legislature, I have the right to appoint a new GDCE Director General at any time. However, based on the merits of H.E. Kun Nhim, who is an experienced, willing and hard-working official in fulfilling his duties for the country, I will continue the principle of allowing H.E. Kun Nhim to extend his retirement until 2028. There is no need to change,’ he added.
Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet therefore asked this Khmer-language foreign radio station to stop fabricating false stories with ill intentions to destroy the honour and dignity of him and his family, especially using the name of officials as a shield to cover up its filth and immorality.
‘If there is an official of the GDCE who really raised this issue and wants H.E. Kun Nhim to retire in 2025 for any reason, do not dream,’ he said. ‘This case will be the basis for me in considering the selection
of candidates to be appointed Director General of GDCE in the future.’
At the same time, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate, also made a similar statement on his official Facebook page, confirming, ‘at first, I decided to let [H.E. Kun Nhim] retire by 2025, but later, at the request of H.E. Aun Pornmoniroth and based on the necessity of customs reform and the merits of the person (H.E. Kun Nhim) himself, I decided to allow him to retire in 2028.’
In addition, Samdech Techo Hun Sen has also decided to extend the retirement of two deputy directors general of GDCE to 2028 to form a group of leaders to continue the customs reform with success.
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse