Cambodian general jailed by civilian court, for a little while

The Cambodia Daily has this confusing report on the case of a brigadier general who was convicted in civilian court on charges of interfering in civilian law enforcement, but given a short sentence. Excerpt:

Military personnel, such as Brig. Gen. Prum Mony, are not au­thorized to participate in investigations into criminal cases. Article 609 of the criminal code states that unlawful interference in the discharge of public functions is punishable by between one and three years in prison. 

But at the municipal court on Friday, Presiding Judge Veng Hourt announced that while the defendant had been found guilty of the crime, he would serve a far shorter sentence. 

“We decided to imprison Pech Prum Mony for 18 months, but he is only required to serve 10 months,” the judge said, adding that the general would also be fined 2 million riel, or about $500. He gave no explanation for the re­duced sentence, which would see Brig. Gen. Prum Mony freed next month, as he has been in detention since his arrest in February. 

Contacted later by telephone, Judge Hourt declined to explain the court’s leniency.
“You don’t need to know,” he said. “This is an internal affair.”