Audit finds no evidence of kickbacks related to KR trial

At a press conference Friday in Phnom Penh, Jo Scheuer, the U.N. Development Program country director, told reporters that the review team found ''no conclusive evidence'' for allegations that Cambodian officials were demanding kickbacks from Cambodians assigned to the special court.

''The team has found that the human resource management practices of the ECCC national side are robust and ready to take on the challenges of the next phase of operations,'' Scheuer said.

''Based on audits conducted from 2006 to present, there have been no questionable financial transactions, no misallocated resources, and no incomplete or missing documentation in support of disbursements made by the ECCC. All of their financial transactions have passed audit scrutiny,'' he added.

The ECCC is the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, a joint Cambodian-U.N. tribunal set up to bring former leaders of the Khmer Rouge to trial for genocide and crimes against humanity during the group's 1975-79 rule.

Early last year a New York-based legal watchdog called for an investigation into allegations kickbacks were being paid in exchange for positions related to the tribunal.

The Open Society Justice Initiative had said, ''Corruption allegations leveled at Cambodian judges and court officials at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia must be investigated thoroughly, fairly, and quickly.''

But Sean Visoth, director of administration of the ECCC, said at the Friday press conference the allegations were found to be ''baseless.''

Five suspects are currently held in ECCC detention awaiting trial before the tribunal -- Nuon Chea, better known as Brother No. 2 in the Khmer Rouge hierarchy; Kaing Khek Ieu, alias Duch, who headed the Tuol Sleng torture center in Phnom Penh; Khieu Samphan, head of state in the Khmer Rouge regime; Ieng Sary, the regime's foreign minister; and Ieng Thirith, who was its social affairs minister.//Kyodo News - April 25, 2008