Thach Setha pictured at a Candlelight Party rally on 3 June 2022, two days before Cambodia's Commune Elections.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this morning convicted Thach Setha, Vice President of the Candlelight Party, of irregular financial payments and sentenced him to one year and six months in prison as well as imposing a fine and compensation. The case followed a complaint by Rin Chhay Pawn Shop, which alleged that Setha had written five bad cheques to repay a loan in 2019. Setha has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest in January 2023, with multiple bail requests denied.

The court sentenced Setha under Article 231 of the Law on Negotiable Instruments and Payment Transactions. He was ordered to pay a fine of 3 million riel (around US$750). Setha was also ordered to pay the complainant US$33,400 (around 133.6 million riel) — the amount of his outstanding debt to Rin Chhay Pawn Shop — in addition to 5 million riel (around US$1,250) in compensation.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court today also conducted the first hearing of a separate case charging Setha with incitement to disturb social security and incitement to discriminate under Articles 494, 495, and 496 of the Criminal Code. Setha was indicted in April 2023 in relation to a speech made to Cambodian migrant workers in South Korea on 8 January 2023, which was published by an unknown source on YouTube. Setha has also been ordered into pre-trial detention on the basis of these charges, with the Supreme Court upholding the denial of his bail request in June 2023.

The Candlelight Party was the leading opposition party in the June 2022 Commune Elections. The National Election Committee in May 2023 disqualified Candlelight from participating in the July 2023 National Election, after the party was unable to produce an original document.