Cambodian officials said associates of a jailed Taiwanese gangster tried to obtain his release but maintained the suspect would not be freed before trial.
Judge Nop Sophon, the municipal court's deputy director, said that 59-year-old Chen Chi-li (
Chen was arrested in July 2000 at his luxurious Phnom Penh residence and charged with illegal possession of weapons and involvement with organized crime. In December, additional charges were levied, including falsifying nationality documents and illegal registration of a motor vehicle.
"I signed with my own hands the order to detain him," Nop Sophon said. "There have been many attempts by Chen's relatives and associates to gain his release, but no release will happen without a verdict."
He did not provide details of the attempts.
Chen's trial was scheduled to have started Friday, but was postponed until Aug. 10 because of "technical shortfalls," Chhin Chiva, a court prosecutor, said.
The Taipei Times reported on Sunday that Chen would be released in "a few days," citing a representative of Taiwan's government based in Ho Chi Minh City who has been talking to Cambodian officials about the gangster's fate.
Cambodian police officials said Chen's future will be decided by the court.
Chen had been traveling on a Cambodian diplomatic passport and was listed as an adviser to Chea Sim, the president of the formerly communist Cambodian People's Party and the Senate president, police have confirmed. Chea Sim has not publicly commented on his relationship with Chen.
Chen and two colleagues were convicted in 1985 of plotting the murder of an ethnic Chinese author in California. Chen served six years of a life sentence and moved to Cambodia. He is wanted in Taiwan on charges of racketeering and bid rigging on a highway project.
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