Synopsis: International security delegates coordinate mutual assistance to tackle transnational financial crimes, target property owners enabling illegal networks, and enforce legal accountability.
Cambodia and France have agreed to deepen cooperation in combating transnational crime, particularly online scams, through intelligence sharing, joint investigative support and law enforcement capacity building, a senior Cambodian official said.
Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS) Head Senior Minister Chhay Sinarith said the agreement followed meetings in Paris in late October with French Presidential Advisor for Asia, Oceania and the Americas Julie Le Saos, along with representatives from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and Ministry of the Interior.
Speaking in an interview with RFI Khmer in Paris, Sinarith said both sides expressed a shared commitment to expanding cooperation and providing mutual assistance in tackling technology-based fraud.
“In general, both sides demonstrated a shared commitment to strengthening and broadening cooperation and providing mutual assistance, particularly through information sharing and capacity building in research and investigations,” he said.
Sinarith said Cambodian investigations had identified approximately 97 organised criminal networks operating in the country, involving online scams and money laundering through legitimate businesses, while around 100 additional networks were identified overseas.
The networks involved foreign nationals from nearly 40 countries, including China, Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Thailand. He said major masterminds were predominantly Chinese nationals, while Cambodian nationals could also have been recruited or lured into criminal activities.
As part of the ongoing crackdown, Cambodian authorities have shut down 86 large-scale scam compounds and placed them under government control. A total of 529 cases have been filed with the courts, while 5,778 people are being held in prisons.
“Based on investigations and on-site inspections, 86 scam compounds have been shut down and placed under the control of government authorities, and legal action is being taken,” he said.
Sinarith said investigations covered organised criminal networks, actual scam activities, possible torture, unlawful confinement, victim recruitment and money-laundering operations.
Despite the closure of major compounds, smaller-scale scam operations continue to emerge almost daily, particularly in Preah Sihanouk and Banteay Meanchey provinces, including Poipet City, as well as in Phnom Penh.
He said that the government will not tolerate online scam activities, regardless of scale, and warned property owners against allowing criminal groups to use their premises.
“Our anti-scam law is being strictly enforced, particularly against property owners who continue to provide opportunities for these groups to operate, whether intentionally or unintentionally. They must be held accountable,” he said.
He added that property owners who knowingly allow criminal groups to use their premises face legal consequences and the confiscation of their properties.
Sinarith said that combating online scams remains challenging, adding that authorities need sufficient evidence to identify the perpetrators and ensure legal charges are properly supported before the court.
