Cambodia and the Pandora Papers

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Publication Date: 
October 8, 2021

Cambodia and the Pandora Papers

On October 3, 2021, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists began to publish 11.9 million leaked documents. The papers exposed many national leaders’ offshore accounts. One haven of offshore accounts was Cyprus, which housed millions in hidden money. Many Cambodian officials were caught having ties to the scandal, originally including Prime Minister Hun Sen. Part of the scheme was the purchase of Cyprus citizenship and passports, which The Guardian originally accused Hun Sen of doing. However, after fervent denial by both the Royal Government and the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affair, the Guardian amended the article. The accusation appeared to be taken especially seriously since the Cambodian constitution requires the Prime Minister to be of “Khmer nationality,” and dual citizenship would violate that. The family of the Cambodian National Police Commissioner was also implicated, and so was the famous Cambodian singer So Savoeun.

The Pandora Papers also exposed the hidden accounts of Douglas Latchford, an English “explorer” who looted temples across Cambodia. His collection is still one of the largest private collections of Khmer artifacts. US prosecutor indited him in 2019 for the thefts, demanding all property be returned. However, Latchford died before trial, and much of the money he’d earned trafficking artifacts and the artifacts themselves disappeared. The Pandora Papers revealed that as soon as US prosecutors started linking him with looted artifacts, he and some family members set up trusts on the haven Island of Jersey. These relics were worth millions in all but had a deeper cultural value as well. While many artifacts have been returned, the investigation found that at least 27 of Latchford’s plundered artifacts still remain in prominent collections, including 12 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This relates to larger discussions around repatriation in general.

Sources:

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/2021/10/07/20/12/57060/

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/947595/government-lawyers-reject-false-claims-by-the-guardian-newspaper-that-pm-has-cyprus-passport/

https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/cambodia-relics-looted-temples-museums-offshore/

 
Author: 
Dante Motley