A property company owner was charged in Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Saturday with issuing an NSF check for $100,000 to a pawnbroker to settle his debt.
Phnom Penh Municipal Criminal Police Officer Major Lay Vanna yesterday identified the accused as Lim Sovann, 39, living in Sen Sok district in Phnom Penh.
He said Sovann was responsible for issuing an NSF check under Section 231 of the Negotiable Instruments and Payment Transactions Act.
If found guilty, he faces a prison term of up to two years.
He said Sovann was arrested on February 18 in accordance with the court warrant.
He added that Sovann was being sued by his friend Chan Sokpov, 39, a money lender, living in Choam Chao commune of Por Senchey district.
Maj Vanna said that according to the plaintiff’s complaint, in 2020, Sovann borrowed $200,000 (he promised to repay it in installments) from Sokpov to improve his business.
He noted that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sovann’s business had been badly affected and he could not repay the debt, but when the deadline came he issued five checks for a total of $100,000 to Sokpov and it ultimately turned out to be bad checks.
He said that when Sokpov tried to claim his money, Sovann failed to pay the amount and later filed a complaint with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, which led to his arrest and indictment.
- Key words: missed check, real estate
