Kampot provincial court has ordered real estate tycoon Chea Saron and eight of his staff into pretrial detention after allegedly swindling almost $40 million from 2,461 families.
Last week, police arrested Saran and eight of his staff for allegedly conning thousands of families out of their money in Chhouk district, Kampot province.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Kampot Provincial Police posted a court order by Investigating Judge Pheap Sophea, along with pictures of Saron with other suspects in handcuffs escorted to a police van and then posing in front of the provincial prison.
“Oknha Chea Saron and his accomplices, who have cheated thousands of people, were charged by the investigating judge with aggravated fraud and sent to Kampot Provincial Prison on the afternoon of April 27, 2013, and the court will continue the proceedings with representatives of companies involved in compensation to the people,” the police said in the Facebook post.
Representatives of the accused were not available for comment on this story.