PHNOM PENH, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian court on Friday sentenced lawyer Pich Ratana to five years in prison, with three years of that suspended, for attempting to bribe a judge, according to a verdict.
The lawyer was arrested by the government's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) on May 31 in Phnom Penh after he allegedly took 5,000 U.S. dollars from his client and tried to give it to a Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge in a case involving a land dispute.
"The court found Pich Ratana, 45, guilty of attempting to bribe a judge and decided to convict him to five years in prison, but the term of his punishment will be reduced to two years. The rest of his punishment will be suspended," said the verdict read by Phnom Penh Municipal Court presiding judge Svay Tonh.
Under the kingdom's law, the convict has one month to appeal against the guilty verdict.
On Thursday, Supreme Court clerk Vath Piseth, 30, was sentenced to three years in jail, with two years and seven months of that suspended, for accepting a bribe in exchange for organizing to have a set of charges dropped.
Cambodia has ramped up its fight against corruption in recent years. Since its inception in 2010, the ACU has investigated a number of corruption-related cases and brought dozens of corrupt officials to court for prosecution.
