Under focus: A man walking past the Prince International Plaza in Phnom Penh. — AFP
Phnom Penh said it hopes the United States and Britain have sufficient evidence in their pursuit of Prince Holding Group and its chairman Chen Zhi, after both governments imposed sanctions accusing the conglomerate of running massive online scams and using forced labour.
Cambodia’s Interior Ministry spokesman Touch Sokhak said Prince Holding Group has met all legal requirements to operate in Cambodia and has been treated no differently than other major companies investing in the country.
Sokhak said Cambodia will cooperate if there is a formal request backed by evidence.
“We do not protect individuals who violate the law,” he said, but stressed that his government does not accuse Prince Holding Group or Chen Zhi of wrongdoing.
The US Treasury Department and UK Foreign Office on Tuesday announced joint sanctions against Chen and his conglomerate, accused of being a transnational criminal network that has defrauded victims worldwide and exploited trafficked workers across South-East Asia.
It came after US authorities seized more than US$14bil (RM59bil) in bitcoin and charged Chen, 38, with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies.
Chen was accused of sanctioning violence against workers, authorising bribes to foreign officials and using his other businesses to launder illicit profits.
In London, British authorities froze Chen’s British businesses and assets, including a €12mil (RM59mil) mansion in North London, a €100mil (RM492mil) office building in London and multiple luxury flats.
Chen remains at large. If convicted in the US, he faces up to 40 years in prison. Prince Holding Group has previously denied involvement in scam operations and has not publicly responded to the latest allegations.
The two governments allege Chen’s network operated scam compounds that used trafficked foreigners to run online “romance” and cryptocurrency investment scams. Victims were tricked into investing life savings, while trafficked workers were forced to carry out the frauds under threat of torture. — AP
