AKP Phnom Penh, May 06, 2026 --

Phnom Penh court has ordered the pre-trial detention of 12 foreign nationals – 11 Vietnamese and one Chinese – accused of running an organised online investment scam.

Investigating Judge Tan Kimheak issued the detention warrant on May 3, following the suspects’ arrest in late April at the Zhuoyufeng condominium in Khan Meanchey. The group now faces proceedings at Phnom Penh’s PJ Prison and Correctional Centre 2 (M2).

According to court documents, the operation ran from early April to April 21, 2026. Prosecutors charged the group under Article 5, Paragraph 3, Point 1 of Cambodia’s Law on Combating Technology-enabled Scams – a statute that took effect just last month.

The law, adopted April 6, targets five cybercrime offences: Online fraud; Organising or leading cybercrime centres; Recruitment or training for cybercrime; Fraudulent collection of personal identification data; Specialised money laundering.

If convicted, the accused face severe penalties: potential life imprisonment, fines up to 1 billion Riel (≈ US$250,000), and total asset seizure.

By K. Rithy Reak