Yes. And at what point do they begin to regret it?Alexandra wrote:They what?scobienz wrote:But the U.K., which first raised a red flag over his operations in Banteay Meanchey province
This question springs to mind:
Blessgavinmac wrote:Under what circumstances will the embassy tattle on its citizens that have expired passports and visas?
Greg Fryatt fraud trial delayed again
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This one too. Do they play the corruption game so the suspect doesn't have to? "Stepping in" isn't exactly free.scobienz wrote:stepping in to make sure the suspected fraudster doesn’t fall victim to Cambodia’s corrupt court system
Bless
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Some embassies do seem happy to let the corrupt Cambodian judicial system have its corrupt way with their citizems when, for whatever reason, they think it is deserved. I wonder what exactly has got them concerned about this particular case (aside from what they say to the press.) Did they screw over the wrong guy and are now feeling a twinge of guilt over it?
I'm guessing the only reason why they worry is because the suspect may walk away as a free man. Probably soon.
Bless
Bless
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I got the impression that the concern was the lack of fairness of the judicial process. And I thought, with the original bought judge and fake documents, perhaps they were thinking that he is being prosecuted unfairly. Haven't been following this well so I guess I am reading it wrong. The Brits want him in jail, eh?Alexandra wrote:I'm guessing the only reason why they worry is because the suspect may walk away as a free man. Probably soon.
Bless
Well first they described him as "having a criminal lifestyle", then they "raised a red flag" about whatever he was doing in Banteay Meanchey, and now long after he's still not in jail then suddenly they are worried about Cambodian corruption interfering with the case.
It sounds more to me like they are worried about him getting out of jail than being treated wrong on his way there. Perhaps they have reason to believe that he's paid somebody off. The journalist behind the article wrote that they hope he "doesn’t fall victim to Cambodia’s corrupt court system", but I'm not so sure that a government would think so highly of people "having a criminal lifestyle".
It sounds more like they worry that he will "fall victim to Cambodia's corrupt court system" by not being sentenced to prison. After all, they must've been working for years to get this guy where he is after surveiling him both home and abroad raising flags and having reports sent from U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office. By now I imagine a prosecutor wants this guy on his resume.
Why on earth would they go out of their way to protect somebody that they have tried to nail to the cross both in the UK and abroad for years? I think they want him behind bars more than anything else, but I'm just speculating.
Bless
It sounds more to me like they are worried about him getting out of jail than being treated wrong on his way there. Perhaps they have reason to believe that he's paid somebody off. The journalist behind the article wrote that they hope he "doesn’t fall victim to Cambodia’s corrupt court system", but I'm not so sure that a government would think so highly of people "having a criminal lifestyle".
It sounds more like they worry that he will "fall victim to Cambodia's corrupt court system" by not being sentenced to prison. After all, they must've been working for years to get this guy where he is after surveiling him both home and abroad raising flags and having reports sent from U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office. By now I imagine a prosecutor wants this guy on his resume.
Why on earth would they go out of their way to protect somebody that they have tried to nail to the cross both in the UK and abroad for years? I think they want him behind bars more than anything else, but I'm just speculating.
Bless
He's charged with using a false land lease title, what is the punishment for that? He's almost done 2 years and the crime sounds less serious than what people normally go to Prey Sar for more than 2 years for.
Using London law firm Bark & Co for your defence in Cambodia sounds expensive, how much does it cost to upgrade your cell in Prey Sar?
Bless
Using London law firm Bark & Co for your defence in Cambodia sounds expensive, how much does it cost to upgrade your cell in Prey Sar?
Bless
The hearings continue. This time a former province official accused a fellow official of taking a bribe from Fryett's company to hand it out to former Minister of agriculture Chan Sarun (who, of course, denies he ever saw that money).
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ex-o ... be-118842/
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ex-o ... be-118842/
[...]In a statement read out by a court clerk, Tou Thean Teu, who was deputy governor of Banteay Meanchey until 2007, accused former governor Oung Oeun of taking the bribe from representatives of an agricultural firm owned by British businessman Gregg Fryett and passing it on to then-Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun.
[...]“I heard that Mr. Hanh Chomrong,” together with other investors in the venture, “gave $350,000 to provincial governor Oung Oeun and then Mr. Om Virak provided it to minister Chan Sarun to ignore the fake documents,” the statement said.
[...] Contacted after the hearing, Mr. Sarun denied taking a bribe.
“I never knew those people and I was involved in visiting the farm only to inform the company about following procedure,” Mr. Sarun said.
Fryett is found guilty and sentenced to 8 years in prison:
Bless
Appearing briefly, Judge Sokreasey refrained from reading out the reasoning for the court’s decision, because the report had “a lot of pages,” instead announcing the sentences before swiftly retreating from the bench.
Mr. Fryett received an eight-year sentence and a fine of 10 million riel; Mr. Sam Ang received a seven-year sentence and a 10 million riel fine; while Mr. Denny and Mr. Ratanak both received five-year sentences and fines of 5 million riel, or about $1,250.
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/guil ... nd-122636/Mr. Fryett and two of his co-defendants smoked cigars and drank coffee in the men’s restroom at the court prior to hearing the verdict, which was delivered under the gaze of five officials from the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), including one man who photographed and videotaped the proceedings.
Mr. Fryett said he would appeal the ruling, though he was “not surprised” by the outcome.
“They didn’t follow the law. They didn’t bring the witnesses. They didn’t have a legal prosecution, and we know all they want is money,” he said. “It is reasonable to say that yes, I probably will [appeal],” he added. “Whaddya reckon? If you were a betting person, how much? It’s a safe bet. In fact, we’re going to file these lawsuits now.”
Bless
Have you seen this Facebook page about the case? Have a look at #kidnappedinCambodia - how do you copy the link from Facebook?
I also hear that he's getting ready to sue the court.....
The court seems to have convicted him for buying land from the wife of DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER Kee Kim Yan .......clearing her land? How does that work?
And they got his equipment. .....
This looks as ropey as......
I also hear that he's getting ready to sue the court.....
The court seems to have convicted him for buying land from the wife of DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER Kee Kim Yan .......clearing her land? How does that work?
And they got his equipment. .....
This looks as ropey as......
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Gregg Fryett - My father is illegally imprisoned in Cambodia
January 5 at 11:16pm ·
The verdict is in.....and it makes astonishing reading.
REMEMBER THAT THE COURT AND ACU HAVE BEEN DEMANDING $500,000 TO RELEASE MY FATHER THROUGHOUT FOUR YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT CONVICTION AND FOLLOWING A THIRTY MONTH TRIAL....!
The court found the defendants guilty in order to steal the company equipment worth over a million dollars....... this judgement is unbelievable.
There were four charges predicated on a criminal complaint by an official who is a chief working for the Forestry Administration, the ACU and the cooperative farms.
The Criminal Complaint and the entire prosecution has been identified as corruption of the court by two governors and twenty government officials.
Even Prime Minister Hun Sen had instructed the ACU to carry out the Governor's requests by removing the corrupt officials from office in 2012 thereby stopping the corrupt prosecution. The ACU did not carry out the executive order.
The Judgement Summary......
1. The Cooperative Farmers claims were thrown out in their entirety. In other words the investors used good contracts and were fair to the farmers. A revelation perhaps about the conduct of the investors?
2. The defendants 'captured and cleared the land by USING forged documents'......for which the court arrested and confiscated all the equipment.
2.1. The land belonged to the Cambodian Land Seller Madam Mao Malay who is the wife of a Deputy Prime Minister. She is therefore responsible for any land clearance. She was not even arrested or interviewed. She did have to attend trial nor was imprisoned like the investors were...........
2.2 The land had full authority for farming since 2007 according to two governors and twenty other officials so what illegal forest clearing?
2.3 The Forestry Administration had no jurisdiction over the land as it was farm land since 2007 so no legal complaint could be made by the Chief.
2.4 Both the ACU and Investigation Judge stated that General Hanh Chumrong forged the documents 'to cheat the English person'.....! The seller's agent forged paperwork that was passed to lawyers and trustees to validate. Why is the land seller not arrested for PRODUCING these forged documents.......?
SO WHERE IS OUR INVESTMENT OF $11 MILLION?
Also the equipment was essentially stolen, sorry, confiscated according to Article 97 of the Forestry Law to repair the forests that didn't exist. ...... so what is the compensation for? To repair what? Or pay who?
In other words.......pay the ransom or the court, ignoring the law and evidence, will simply take whatever it likes in lieu of the ransom payment and essentially convict any dissenting party regardless of the law and evidence............ or the scandal!
3. A lawyer was part paid $38,000 of an $84,000 invoice covering two years of legal work through audit standard accounts and records further to service agreements and emails from the UK accounts office for the trustee. The defendants are not a party to to the payments or emails. So who was bribed? What evidence?
As the ACU well know, ransom demands requires payment in cash to hide the corruption. That's why they demanded cash to release the defendants including my father. Their not being consistent in their actions.......so unprofessional.
We await the reaction to the injunction and mistrial from the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office as well as the Appeal Court.
My father has been to Appeal Court ten times and Supreme Court four times with no success so far.
It appears more litigation is required.........
The investment climate in Cambodia must be really suffering from the actions and blatant corruption of the Municipal Court and ACU........
Gregg Fryett - My father is illegally imprisoned in Cambodia
January 5 at 11:16pm ·
The verdict is in.....and it makes astonishing reading.
REMEMBER THAT THE COURT AND ACU HAVE BEEN DEMANDING $500,000 TO RELEASE MY FATHER THROUGHOUT FOUR YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT CONVICTION AND FOLLOWING A THIRTY MONTH TRIAL....!
The court found the defendants guilty in order to steal the company equipment worth over a million dollars....... this judgement is unbelievable.
There were four charges predicated on a criminal complaint by an official who is a chief working for the Forestry Administration, the ACU and the cooperative farms.
The Criminal Complaint and the entire prosecution has been identified as corruption of the court by two governors and twenty government officials.
Even Prime Minister Hun Sen had instructed the ACU to carry out the Governor's requests by removing the corrupt officials from office in 2012 thereby stopping the corrupt prosecution. The ACU did not carry out the executive order.
The Judgement Summary......
1. The Cooperative Farmers claims were thrown out in their entirety. In other words the investors used good contracts and were fair to the farmers. A revelation perhaps about the conduct of the investors?
2. The defendants 'captured and cleared the land by USING forged documents'......for which the court arrested and confiscated all the equipment.
2.1. The land belonged to the Cambodian Land Seller Madam Mao Malay who is the wife of a Deputy Prime Minister. She is therefore responsible for any land clearance. She was not even arrested or interviewed. She did have to attend trial nor was imprisoned like the investors were...........
2.2 The land had full authority for farming since 2007 according to two governors and twenty other officials so what illegal forest clearing?
2.3 The Forestry Administration had no jurisdiction over the land as it was farm land since 2007 so no legal complaint could be made by the Chief.
2.4 Both the ACU and Investigation Judge stated that General Hanh Chumrong forged the documents 'to cheat the English person'.....! The seller's agent forged paperwork that was passed to lawyers and trustees to validate. Why is the land seller not arrested for PRODUCING these forged documents.......?
SO WHERE IS OUR INVESTMENT OF $11 MILLION?
Also the equipment was essentially stolen, sorry, confiscated according to Article 97 of the Forestry Law to repair the forests that didn't exist. ...... so what is the compensation for? To repair what? Or pay who?
In other words.......pay the ransom or the court, ignoring the law and evidence, will simply take whatever it likes in lieu of the ransom payment and essentially convict any dissenting party regardless of the law and evidence............ or the scandal!
3. A lawyer was part paid $38,000 of an $84,000 invoice covering two years of legal work through audit standard accounts and records further to service agreements and emails from the UK accounts office for the trustee. The defendants are not a party to to the payments or emails. So who was bribed? What evidence?
As the ACU well know, ransom demands requires payment in cash to hide the corruption. That's why they demanded cash to release the defendants including my father. Their not being consistent in their actions.......so unprofessional.
We await the reaction to the injunction and mistrial from the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office as well as the Appeal Court.
My father has been to Appeal Court ten times and Supreme Court four times with no success so far.
It appears more litigation is required.........
The investment climate in Cambodia must be really suffering from the actions and blatant corruption of the Municipal Court and ACU........
Yes any potential investor that did their homework would look elsewhere & this case does highlight what has been the case for a long time. Such a shame that after all the suffering that the Khmer people have had to endure that they are still being continuously screwed over by the sociopathic elite, It is this that gave rise to the Khmer Rouge!Clutchen Menuts wrote:from that FB page:
The investment climate in Cambodia must be really suffering from the actions and blatant corruption of the Municipal Court and ACU........
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I was held hostage by the Cambodian Court and legal system for 7.5 years.
Many others are held hostage on a systematic basis by the same court and government corruption.
The FCO was fully appraised on my situation and is very aware of many other such situations in Cambodia.
The FCDO systematically fails to take any reasonable steps to stop the Hostage taking or the corruption of the Cambodian courts. This inaction effectively aids and abets the corruption and hostage situations of everyone within the Cambodian Legal System. It exposes and puts at risk every single person in Cambodia. Cambodian or Foreigner, to this Corruption and human trade in misery and abuse.
I provide evidence for myself, Gregg Thomas Fryett, illegally detained illegally for 7 and a half years in Cambodia with my three co-accused who also spent 17 years collectively in jail due to this corruption. The evidence provided is Cambodian Government Ministry Recorded Directives confirming the illegal hostage situation.
I also provide some 20 more summary cases of the systematic hostage taking of the court to ensure the enormity of the issue is not lost on the Committee.
Introduction.
In my case, the Cambodian Authorities, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Justice with the National Police and a plethora of other Ministries and Government Officials conclude, evidence and document in Ministerial Records that we were falsely imprisoned and held hostage in Cambodia by the Cambodian Courts and a number of corrupt officials for 7 and a half years.
The corruption and hostage situation is proven by the receiving state’s own authorities.
The Court and ACU demanded ransoms in millions of dollars for our release and the FCO were fully aware of this.
Backstory
Some 2000 British Investors through a British Company invested millions of dollars into land and agriculture in Cambodia confirmed by the Government Ministries and National Police AND the land seller who all confirm to exist and to be legally contracted in written documents.
The Judge and his clearly accomplices acted to steal the land, the company equipment and extort ransoms from the investors, this is evidenced in a letter from the Provincial Governor to the Prime Minister no less in 2012. The FCO have this document which details the corruption and illegal prosecution. They did not act.
The ACU (Anti Corruption Unit) who had a long standing relationship with the Judge, supported the extortion and hostage situation forced upon the company and its staff. The ACU demanded a Ransom in writing for $1m ‘Service Fee’ for the release of everyone. The FCO know about this and did not act.
It is claimed that the ACU have intimidated the courts into sentences and maintaining the illegal convictions through to this date ultimately resulting in the theft of the investment and the illegal imprisonment of four people for 24 years cumulatively.
The court have been compliant with the corruption making them guilty of aiding and abetting the hostage taking, torture, risk to life and theft of the investment. The FCO has all of this detailed in over 10 centimeters of emails and communication records provided by the FCO in a FOI request. They refused to act.
The land had not been transferred until this date but remains available under confirmed and enforceable contracts. The FCO and later the FCDO has been notified of this in copious detail but still refuse to act.
We fought the Cambodian Court for 3 years and 9 months before they concluded the trial during which none of the Cambodian co-defendants were placed in pretrial detention or brought to court as we were. One was sentenced but never was jailed. Instead he was promoted! We went to court 120 times, one of my colleagues went to court 220 times in a country where three visits is the normal process. This is a patent and obvious abuse of process.
The court refused our translator, they refused bail on multiple occasions, they refused to bring witnesses, they refused to accept evidence and they fabricated evidence. The FCO is aware of all of this. The Court prosecuted a case with no legal authority as confirmed by the Cambodian Government Ministries including the Ministry of Justice. The only action the FCDO took was to send a delegation from London to meet with the Minister of Justice of the time, Ang Vong Vattana. The FCO requested my right to a translator of my choice, they requested notice of hearings and they requested his court hurry up. Yes, you read that right. Hurry Up! They did not confirm the right of the Court to prosecute me which history and Ministerial Papers show NEVER EXISTED.
Every single foreign nation knows that the Cambodian Courts benefit from “state enabled”, if not “state authorized” hostage taking and the systematic demands for bribes or ransoms for release. This is detailed in the US Human Rights Report Annually. Multiple NGO’s confirm this through reporting of cases. Prime Minister Hun Sen even appeared on TV in 2021 and stated as much following the Rock KTV Drug Arrests and Revelations. (BTV) https://fb.watch/cEy2MkHpAP/
The Appeal Court refused to allow the evidence of their own government from two Ministries as “…to do so would literally allow me to sue the whole Cambodian Legal System”. The words of the Appeal Court President.
The Minister of Justice Koeut Rith provided the evidence of the false prosecution to the Appeal Court following an internal investigation AND a legal opinion from the Secretary of State Bun Hun which confirms the corruption and illegal imprisonment / hostage or kidnap situation.
We have noticed the Minister of Justice that should he now not act to conclude the legal issues according to law, he would be complicit (Aiding and Abetting) with the Criminal Activities of the Corrupt officials including the courts according to his own evidence.
In essence we have been able to evidence in Cambodia what Bill Browder proved in Russia that resulted in the Magnitsky Act. This Cambodian evidence is not just corporate evidence, it is actually evidence from the National Police, the District and Provincial Governors and the Ministries of Land, Agriculture, Interior and Justice, collectively the Government Authorities themselves. All of these offices and Ministries have investigated and reported on the criminal actions of the initial four corrupt officials and then the court actions that have enabled this corruption. This amounts to stated authorized hostage taking for Ransom.
No one is acting against the Court or the Anti Corruption Unit. The whole legal system is now frozen into paralysis unless a senior authority steps into that void. This should be the FCDO.
The Relevant Point and legal point here is that the FCO knew that there was no legal due process being followed in Cambodia and that we were literally hostages of these corrupt officials who themselves were state enabled as recognized by that state in Government documents and in Prime Minister TV Statements.
The Inquiry asks three questions:
1. What were the merits and mistakes made in the approach of the FCDO to the handling of the Iranian hostage situation and any other similar situations in recent years?
2. Does the Government approach provide an effective deterrent to state-based hostage situations?
3. What efforts is the Government taking or should take to secure International Agreement on deterring and handling state -based hostage taking?
Lets consider Cambodia for a moment. It has a horrific reputation for Corruption, its courts are out of control in this regard, many reports including the US Human Rights Annual Report, Licadho and ADHOC along with other NGO’s confirm this. It is very clear that many of the prosecutions in Cambodia are not compliant with any legal standards and that the agenda in many cases is to exploit the victims of prosecution for commercial gain - so read ransoms or bribes - by the court regardless of the facts of the case. This is not news, this is widely known. Even the Cambodian Prime Minister states as much on TV.
Is the UK Embassy and Consul equipped to handle such issues in Cambodia? Their answers have ranged from:
1. We have no legal training
2. We can decide who we help and don’t help
3. We do not have to help you
4. We have no jurisdiction
5. We are not allowed to interfere in the criminal legal system.
6. And a number of others. I have many many emails and letters that confirm this.
So lets take a moment to consider this response. This means that, contrary to all the public facing statements of the FCDO, they have no intention of implementing any reasonable planning, organization, resources or activities to ensure that a UK citizen will have a fair trial in Cambodia. There is no mechanism to confirm that British Citizens will be fairly treated or will not be abused regardless of the legality of the case brought against him or her.
So my answer to Question 1 is clear, the FCDO are neither motivated or organized to provide any effective remedies to corruption anywhere in the world, least of all in Iran with the complications of long term debts being the basis of the hostage taking. There are no merits from my personal experience and that of others attributable to the FCDO current policy. At best, the interactions with the FCDO have been stressful and confrontational and ultimately pointless. These have actually been detrimental in many instances. In reality, when the FCDO act, the Cambodian Authorities become far more cautious. Understanding how corruption works and the fears of the corrupt officials is at the core of an effective remedy. THE FCDO are patently not familiar with how this works.
My Answer to Question 2 is clear also, they are neither effective or a deterrent. Indeed the ineffectiveness of the FCDO to act in such a blatant case as mine emboldens the corruption and criminality. In legal terms, this inaction is aiding and abetting, is conspiratorial. Is this really so difficult to see?
To reinforce how ineffective the FCDO have been in my case, see the evidence below.
In regard to evidence as to the actions of the FCO, hereinafter are extracts from a letter sent by Joanne Finnamore-Crorkin CROM letter 3rd June 2020 in response to many issues including a face to face meeting with myself and two other British Prisoners, all of whom have serious questions as to the legality of their arrest and prosecution, all of whom suffered demands for bribes and ransoms and one of whom DIED in Prison.
QUOTE
A. As explained in Nicola’s email to you of 28 January, the UK authorities will not investigate a crime in another jurisdiction unless invited to do so by the relevant authorities.
B. As explained in our Support for British Nationals Abroad guide, there is no legal right to consular assistance, and all assistance provided is at our discretion.
C. Involvement of the Ambassador and the Foreign Secretary
The Ambassador is aware of your case and is being kept updated. Staff who met you during the January consular visit have confirmed to me that they did not discuss with you the Foreign Secretary’s involvement. Nicola will remain your primary point of contact. The Foreign Secretary relies on officials to provide the appropriate level of assistance in each consular case and I am satisfied that we have done so in your case.
My response to Quote A is that the FCDO is the ONLY party with the authority to stop this hostage taking ransom racket. The court and the officials will not act against their own to stop it as we have evidenced. In reality, the FCO recognizes the crime being perpetrated against us but refuse to act unless upon the request of the very hostage sanctioning state that allows the court to do this to us? How on earth was this illogical conclusion arrived at?
If you wish to improve how the UK Government handles State level hostage taking, it starts with having the political will. Is it not strange that the net outcome of all of this is that no British Interest is actually benefiting from any protection, actual or implied. In fact the reverse is true, the Cambodian Court corruption feels emboldened which puts future British Tourists and investments at risk.
My Response to Quote B, we have no legal right to Consular or Embassy Assistance? Is this the response of the very office paid specifically by tax payers to provide these services equally, without discrimination and in alignment with international human rights and legal rights which should reasonably be both expected and actually be protected further to not only domestic law but international laws and conventions? If this it the position of the FCO, I recommend that we withdraw from all international conventions, declarations, human rights councils and revoke the Equality Act and the Human Rights Act. Then the Government will not be lying to the British public. This is a patent and broad systematic fraud being perpetrated by the FCDO. It needs to be reversed without any delay.
My response to Quote C, the very people who systematically throw up barriers and excuses are briefing the Ambassador and Minister? This is a serious chain of command issue. In legal terms, it is my view that every single person who failed to act upon knowledge of the crimes we were suffering and who were in a position to act are complicit with our abduction and hostage situation, an event that the Cambodian Government recognizes and evidences itself.
If this were only happening to me, then perhaps this would be the end of it. But no, it has happened to almost every British and Foreign Prisoner I have met. And many Cambodians. The criminals pay and get out, the innocents remain and die slowly with no money, no hope and abandoned. They serve as a good lesson to others as to what happens if you do not pay the court!
In reality, the FCO has a central policy to systematically abandon all British Citizens in Cambodia. I am very sure this is exactly the case all over the world.
Question Three asks what the FCDO should do. In my view, you have all the international agreements and law you need. You need practical and literal enforcement of these agreements which means action. For British Interests to be safe overseas, then the FCDO must routinely examine all prosecutions of British Citizens for compliance with domestic and international law (with the approval and liability waiver of the Citizen). This simple step alone would escalate the risk for corrupt officials and the state to a point they would only act with real evidence and grounds. When there is reason for action by the FCDO, then they should act boldly but professionally. The message should be clear - British Passport Holders are protected by the FCDO and out of bounds to corruption.
I quote from the FCDO Annual Report 2019-2020 and the then Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab -
“Global Britain is a force for good in the world. Our guiding lights, have always been— and will always be— the values of democracy, human rights and the international rule of law”.
“In order to hold human rights abusers and violators to account, we have recently introduced the UK’s first autonomous human rights sanctions regime, giving us the power to impose sanctions on individuals involved in the most serious abuses of human rights. These sanctions offer us a forensic tool, allowing us to target perpetrators through travel bans and asset freezes, without punishing the wider people of a country” Dominic Raab.
The Cambodian courts ply a systematic organized criminal enterprise that abuses its own citizens and targets overseas visitors exploiting them as hostages of a legal system historically renowned for its corrupt practices sounds like a serious abuser of human rights to me. I now call on the UK Government to act on their words in regard to the thousands of cases of hostage based abuse in Cambodia.
From Mr Reynolds, for the FCDO and the Consular Casework Team on the 22nd of April 2022, sent with no date stamp and to a no-reply email. Do you think he was sending a message?
“I recognise the seriousness that you attach to seeking justice and reparations from those you believe have caused you and your investors loss and distress.
However, as previously advised in earlier correspondence of 22 June 2021, the British Government is not responsible for recovering, or helping to recover, lost investments overseas, which are made independently by individuals at their own risk. Nor is it able to give you legal advice, investigate crimes, pursue cases or support legal action on your behalf. If a British national is a victim of crime overseas it is the responsibility of the local authorities to investigate and prosecute the perpetrator if deemed appropriate”.
Mr Reynolds admits for the FCDO that they will not act. This lays at the core of the problem.
Mr Reynolds and the FCDO collectively are committing crimes through aiding and abetting the corruption. They are not addressing any level of state sanctioned hostage taking in even the smallest way. This blatantly flies in the face of the public statements above.
I appreciate the opportunity to place these facts in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee. I welcome your support and that of the FCO to resolve matters in Cambodia accordingly.
I supply you with 20 further cases of systematic hostage taking by the Cambodian Courts separately so you can begin to gauge the enormity of the problem.
Sincerely Yours
Gregg Fryett
Many others are held hostage on a systematic basis by the same court and government corruption.
The FCO was fully appraised on my situation and is very aware of many other such situations in Cambodia.
The FCDO systematically fails to take any reasonable steps to stop the Hostage taking or the corruption of the Cambodian courts. This inaction effectively aids and abets the corruption and hostage situations of everyone within the Cambodian Legal System. It exposes and puts at risk every single person in Cambodia. Cambodian or Foreigner, to this Corruption and human trade in misery and abuse.
I provide evidence for myself, Gregg Thomas Fryett, illegally detained illegally for 7 and a half years in Cambodia with my three co-accused who also spent 17 years collectively in jail due to this corruption. The evidence provided is Cambodian Government Ministry Recorded Directives confirming the illegal hostage situation.
I also provide some 20 more summary cases of the systematic hostage taking of the court to ensure the enormity of the issue is not lost on the Committee.
Introduction.
In my case, the Cambodian Authorities, the Cambodian Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Justice with the National Police and a plethora of other Ministries and Government Officials conclude, evidence and document in Ministerial Records that we were falsely imprisoned and held hostage in Cambodia by the Cambodian Courts and a number of corrupt officials for 7 and a half years.
The corruption and hostage situation is proven by the receiving state’s own authorities.
The Court and ACU demanded ransoms in millions of dollars for our release and the FCO were fully aware of this.
Backstory
Some 2000 British Investors through a British Company invested millions of dollars into land and agriculture in Cambodia confirmed by the Government Ministries and National Police AND the land seller who all confirm to exist and to be legally contracted in written documents.
The Judge and his clearly accomplices acted to steal the land, the company equipment and extort ransoms from the investors, this is evidenced in a letter from the Provincial Governor to the Prime Minister no less in 2012. The FCO have this document which details the corruption and illegal prosecution. They did not act.
The ACU (Anti Corruption Unit) who had a long standing relationship with the Judge, supported the extortion and hostage situation forced upon the company and its staff. The ACU demanded a Ransom in writing for $1m ‘Service Fee’ for the release of everyone. The FCO know about this and did not act.
It is claimed that the ACU have intimidated the courts into sentences and maintaining the illegal convictions through to this date ultimately resulting in the theft of the investment and the illegal imprisonment of four people for 24 years cumulatively.
The court have been compliant with the corruption making them guilty of aiding and abetting the hostage taking, torture, risk to life and theft of the investment. The FCO has all of this detailed in over 10 centimeters of emails and communication records provided by the FCO in a FOI request. They refused to act.
The land had not been transferred until this date but remains available under confirmed and enforceable contracts. The FCO and later the FCDO has been notified of this in copious detail but still refuse to act.
We fought the Cambodian Court for 3 years and 9 months before they concluded the trial during which none of the Cambodian co-defendants were placed in pretrial detention or brought to court as we were. One was sentenced but never was jailed. Instead he was promoted! We went to court 120 times, one of my colleagues went to court 220 times in a country where three visits is the normal process. This is a patent and obvious abuse of process.
The court refused our translator, they refused bail on multiple occasions, they refused to bring witnesses, they refused to accept evidence and they fabricated evidence. The FCO is aware of all of this. The Court prosecuted a case with no legal authority as confirmed by the Cambodian Government Ministries including the Ministry of Justice. The only action the FCDO took was to send a delegation from London to meet with the Minister of Justice of the time, Ang Vong Vattana. The FCO requested my right to a translator of my choice, they requested notice of hearings and they requested his court hurry up. Yes, you read that right. Hurry Up! They did not confirm the right of the Court to prosecute me which history and Ministerial Papers show NEVER EXISTED.
Every single foreign nation knows that the Cambodian Courts benefit from “state enabled”, if not “state authorized” hostage taking and the systematic demands for bribes or ransoms for release. This is detailed in the US Human Rights Report Annually. Multiple NGO’s confirm this through reporting of cases. Prime Minister Hun Sen even appeared on TV in 2021 and stated as much following the Rock KTV Drug Arrests and Revelations. (BTV) https://fb.watch/cEy2MkHpAP/
The Appeal Court refused to allow the evidence of their own government from two Ministries as “…to do so would literally allow me to sue the whole Cambodian Legal System”. The words of the Appeal Court President.
The Minister of Justice Koeut Rith provided the evidence of the false prosecution to the Appeal Court following an internal investigation AND a legal opinion from the Secretary of State Bun Hun which confirms the corruption and illegal imprisonment / hostage or kidnap situation.
We have noticed the Minister of Justice that should he now not act to conclude the legal issues according to law, he would be complicit (Aiding and Abetting) with the Criminal Activities of the Corrupt officials including the courts according to his own evidence.
In essence we have been able to evidence in Cambodia what Bill Browder proved in Russia that resulted in the Magnitsky Act. This Cambodian evidence is not just corporate evidence, it is actually evidence from the National Police, the District and Provincial Governors and the Ministries of Land, Agriculture, Interior and Justice, collectively the Government Authorities themselves. All of these offices and Ministries have investigated and reported on the criminal actions of the initial four corrupt officials and then the court actions that have enabled this corruption. This amounts to stated authorized hostage taking for Ransom.
No one is acting against the Court or the Anti Corruption Unit. The whole legal system is now frozen into paralysis unless a senior authority steps into that void. This should be the FCDO.
The Relevant Point and legal point here is that the FCO knew that there was no legal due process being followed in Cambodia and that we were literally hostages of these corrupt officials who themselves were state enabled as recognized by that state in Government documents and in Prime Minister TV Statements.
The Inquiry asks three questions:
1. What were the merits and mistakes made in the approach of the FCDO to the handling of the Iranian hostage situation and any other similar situations in recent years?
2. Does the Government approach provide an effective deterrent to state-based hostage situations?
3. What efforts is the Government taking or should take to secure International Agreement on deterring and handling state -based hostage taking?
Lets consider Cambodia for a moment. It has a horrific reputation for Corruption, its courts are out of control in this regard, many reports including the US Human Rights Annual Report, Licadho and ADHOC along with other NGO’s confirm this. It is very clear that many of the prosecutions in Cambodia are not compliant with any legal standards and that the agenda in many cases is to exploit the victims of prosecution for commercial gain - so read ransoms or bribes - by the court regardless of the facts of the case. This is not news, this is widely known. Even the Cambodian Prime Minister states as much on TV.
Is the UK Embassy and Consul equipped to handle such issues in Cambodia? Their answers have ranged from:
1. We have no legal training
2. We can decide who we help and don’t help
3. We do not have to help you
4. We have no jurisdiction
5. We are not allowed to interfere in the criminal legal system.
6. And a number of others. I have many many emails and letters that confirm this.
So lets take a moment to consider this response. This means that, contrary to all the public facing statements of the FCDO, they have no intention of implementing any reasonable planning, organization, resources or activities to ensure that a UK citizen will have a fair trial in Cambodia. There is no mechanism to confirm that British Citizens will be fairly treated or will not be abused regardless of the legality of the case brought against him or her.
So my answer to Question 1 is clear, the FCDO are neither motivated or organized to provide any effective remedies to corruption anywhere in the world, least of all in Iran with the complications of long term debts being the basis of the hostage taking. There are no merits from my personal experience and that of others attributable to the FCDO current policy. At best, the interactions with the FCDO have been stressful and confrontational and ultimately pointless. These have actually been detrimental in many instances. In reality, when the FCDO act, the Cambodian Authorities become far more cautious. Understanding how corruption works and the fears of the corrupt officials is at the core of an effective remedy. THE FCDO are patently not familiar with how this works.
My Answer to Question 2 is clear also, they are neither effective or a deterrent. Indeed the ineffectiveness of the FCDO to act in such a blatant case as mine emboldens the corruption and criminality. In legal terms, this inaction is aiding and abetting, is conspiratorial. Is this really so difficult to see?
To reinforce how ineffective the FCDO have been in my case, see the evidence below.
In regard to evidence as to the actions of the FCO, hereinafter are extracts from a letter sent by Joanne Finnamore-Crorkin CROM letter 3rd June 2020 in response to many issues including a face to face meeting with myself and two other British Prisoners, all of whom have serious questions as to the legality of their arrest and prosecution, all of whom suffered demands for bribes and ransoms and one of whom DIED in Prison.
QUOTE
A. As explained in Nicola’s email to you of 28 January, the UK authorities will not investigate a crime in another jurisdiction unless invited to do so by the relevant authorities.
B. As explained in our Support for British Nationals Abroad guide, there is no legal right to consular assistance, and all assistance provided is at our discretion.
C. Involvement of the Ambassador and the Foreign Secretary
The Ambassador is aware of your case and is being kept updated. Staff who met you during the January consular visit have confirmed to me that they did not discuss with you the Foreign Secretary’s involvement. Nicola will remain your primary point of contact. The Foreign Secretary relies on officials to provide the appropriate level of assistance in each consular case and I am satisfied that we have done so in your case.
My response to Quote A is that the FCDO is the ONLY party with the authority to stop this hostage taking ransom racket. The court and the officials will not act against their own to stop it as we have evidenced. In reality, the FCO recognizes the crime being perpetrated against us but refuse to act unless upon the request of the very hostage sanctioning state that allows the court to do this to us? How on earth was this illogical conclusion arrived at?
If you wish to improve how the UK Government handles State level hostage taking, it starts with having the political will. Is it not strange that the net outcome of all of this is that no British Interest is actually benefiting from any protection, actual or implied. In fact the reverse is true, the Cambodian Court corruption feels emboldened which puts future British Tourists and investments at risk.
My Response to Quote B, we have no legal right to Consular or Embassy Assistance? Is this the response of the very office paid specifically by tax payers to provide these services equally, without discrimination and in alignment with international human rights and legal rights which should reasonably be both expected and actually be protected further to not only domestic law but international laws and conventions? If this it the position of the FCO, I recommend that we withdraw from all international conventions, declarations, human rights councils and revoke the Equality Act and the Human Rights Act. Then the Government will not be lying to the British public. This is a patent and broad systematic fraud being perpetrated by the FCDO. It needs to be reversed without any delay.
My response to Quote C, the very people who systematically throw up barriers and excuses are briefing the Ambassador and Minister? This is a serious chain of command issue. In legal terms, it is my view that every single person who failed to act upon knowledge of the crimes we were suffering and who were in a position to act are complicit with our abduction and hostage situation, an event that the Cambodian Government recognizes and evidences itself.
If this were only happening to me, then perhaps this would be the end of it. But no, it has happened to almost every British and Foreign Prisoner I have met. And many Cambodians. The criminals pay and get out, the innocents remain and die slowly with no money, no hope and abandoned. They serve as a good lesson to others as to what happens if you do not pay the court!
In reality, the FCO has a central policy to systematically abandon all British Citizens in Cambodia. I am very sure this is exactly the case all over the world.
Question Three asks what the FCDO should do. In my view, you have all the international agreements and law you need. You need practical and literal enforcement of these agreements which means action. For British Interests to be safe overseas, then the FCDO must routinely examine all prosecutions of British Citizens for compliance with domestic and international law (with the approval and liability waiver of the Citizen). This simple step alone would escalate the risk for corrupt officials and the state to a point they would only act with real evidence and grounds. When there is reason for action by the FCDO, then they should act boldly but professionally. The message should be clear - British Passport Holders are protected by the FCDO and out of bounds to corruption.
I quote from the FCDO Annual Report 2019-2020 and the then Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab -
“Global Britain is a force for good in the world. Our guiding lights, have always been— and will always be— the values of democracy, human rights and the international rule of law”.
“In order to hold human rights abusers and violators to account, we have recently introduced the UK’s first autonomous human rights sanctions regime, giving us the power to impose sanctions on individuals involved in the most serious abuses of human rights. These sanctions offer us a forensic tool, allowing us to target perpetrators through travel bans and asset freezes, without punishing the wider people of a country” Dominic Raab.
The Cambodian courts ply a systematic organized criminal enterprise that abuses its own citizens and targets overseas visitors exploiting them as hostages of a legal system historically renowned for its corrupt practices sounds like a serious abuser of human rights to me. I now call on the UK Government to act on their words in regard to the thousands of cases of hostage based abuse in Cambodia.
From Mr Reynolds, for the FCDO and the Consular Casework Team on the 22nd of April 2022, sent with no date stamp and to a no-reply email. Do you think he was sending a message?
“I recognise the seriousness that you attach to seeking justice and reparations from those you believe have caused you and your investors loss and distress.
However, as previously advised in earlier correspondence of 22 June 2021, the British Government is not responsible for recovering, or helping to recover, lost investments overseas, which are made independently by individuals at their own risk. Nor is it able to give you legal advice, investigate crimes, pursue cases or support legal action on your behalf. If a British national is a victim of crime overseas it is the responsibility of the local authorities to investigate and prosecute the perpetrator if deemed appropriate”.
Mr Reynolds admits for the FCDO that they will not act. This lays at the core of the problem.
Mr Reynolds and the FCDO collectively are committing crimes through aiding and abetting the corruption. They are not addressing any level of state sanctioned hostage taking in even the smallest way. This blatantly flies in the face of the public statements above.
I appreciate the opportunity to place these facts in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee. I welcome your support and that of the FCO to resolve matters in Cambodia accordingly.
I supply you with 20 further cases of systematic hostage taking by the Cambodian Courts separately so you can begin to gauge the enormity of the problem.
Sincerely Yours
Gregg Fryett
Bringing the news. You stay classy, nas, Cambodia.
He's right. The majority of expats (on this site, at least) know of the hostage taking by the Cambodian judicial system aided by the ACU. Historically known in the world as kidnapping for ransom. A henious crime.
In Cambodia, it's state run by the Khmer elite - an anachronistic, dying breed that has yet to realise its own future demise.
In Cambodia, it's state run by the Khmer elite - an anachronistic, dying breed that has yet to realise its own future demise.
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