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The Phnom Penh Primary Court in Cambodia has ruled against "Red Notice businessman" Hing Sidet (transliterated) for defamation. The court found him guilty of slandering renowned journalist Peng Wanna, fining him 10 million riels (about $2,500) and ordering him to pay compensation of 20 million riels (about $5,000), totaling approximately 30 million riels.
The court noted that since November 2024, Hing Sidet has repeatedly spread false statements about Peng Wanna on social media, including threatening content, severely damaging the latter's reputation, thus resulting in a guilty verdict.
Hing Sidet had previously attracted attention for frequently exposing alleged frauds involving Cambodian political and business elites online. At the end of last year, he named several senior figures and foreign investors in his posts, and was also suspected of extorting $2 million in "hush money" from a Singaporean businessman, threatening to expose his alleged "illegal online gambling" activities. After the businessman refused, Hing Sidet indeed made the accusations online. The Singaporean businessman immediately reported to the police and demanded $1 million in emotional damages.
The incident quickly alarmed the higher-ups: King Sihamoni signed a royal decree revoking his "Duke" title; Prime Minister Hun Manet ordered legal actions; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revoked his passport in January 2025; and the Ministry of Interior placed him on the Interpol "Red Notice" list.
At the request of the Cambodian authorities, Interpol's General Secretariat issued a Red Notice. On January 13 this year, Hing Sidet was intercepted by local police at the Saint Petersburg train station in Russia while he was attempting to travel to Moscow. After legal proceedings, he was extradited back to Cambodia in May. The Cambodian National Police confirmed that the extradition was carried out under the extradition treaty between the two countries and the arrest warrant from the Phnom Penh court.
It is noteworthy that this verdict is just the "first case" in a series of cases involving Hing Sidet. He still faces at least five criminal lawsuits brought by elites or foreign investors. The police also found that some of his companies had abnormal operations. His claims on social media that "foreign businessmen had bribed Cambodian police officials" have been publicly refuted by the National Police, stating that he "colluded with certain media to spread false information, intending to mislead public opinion."
This verdict is seen as the first conviction in the Hing Sidet cases, and the progress of other cases continues to attract attention.
