Cambodia Senate building opens with sanctioned donor

Cambodian leaders inaugurated a new Senate building on Friday funded by the country's top business people, including a tycoon sanctioned by the United States over alleged links to scam centres.

King Norodom Sihamoni cut the ribbon on the “Solidarity Palace” alongside senior officials including Hun Sen, Cambodia's former long-time leader and current Senate president, and Prime Minister Hun Manet.

Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said the four-and-a-half-storey building, initiated by Hun Sen, has a rooftop helipad and will mainly host overseas visitors. Officials refused to disclose the cost. A sign inside the building lists 11 donors, with senator and businessman Ly Yong Phat at the top.

Ly Yong Phat, who attended the ceremony, was sanctioned in 2024 by US authorities, who accused his firm of “serious human rights abuses” linked to the treatment of people trafficked to work in online scam centres. He has denied reports linking him to cybercrime and money laundering networks, calling the accusations fake and damaging to his reputation.

Another listed donor is businessman Hun To, a cousin of Hun Manet. Hun To said in May he had owned a 30-percent stake, but did not manage operations, in a now shuttered digital payments platform linked to cyberscams and money laundering and sanctioned by the United States. He said he had never received profits, dividends or assets from Huione Pay.

Cambodian authorities say they are cracking down on the transnational scam industry. The National Bank of Cambodia has revoked the Huione platforms' business licences.