Cambodia prince in adultery claim

By Guy DeLauney
BBC News, Phnom Penh

A court in Cambodia has charged the country's former prime minister with adultery.

Prince Norodom Ranariddh is the first high-profile figure to face charges under new legislation, which was passed last year.

The offence carries a maximum prison sentence of 12 months.

The prince is currently abroad but last week he was given a jail term in absentia following a case involving his former political party.

Fraud claim

When the National Assembly voted to make adultery a criminal offence, many observers believed that Prince Ranariddh was the main target.

He had fallen out badly with Prime Minister Hun Sen, as well as admitting to a long-standing extra-marital relationship with a classical dancer.

Now a judge at Phnom Penh municipal court has chosen to add to Ranariddh's growing list of problems by charging him with breaking the so-called monogamy law.

The prince is already facing 18 months in jail when, or if, he returns to Cambodia from Europe.

Last week he was found guilty of defrauding his former party Funcinpec over a land deal.

Ranariddh's supporters say the charges are politically motivated.

Funcinpec removed him as its leader last year, but the prince has formed a new party which is participating in next month's local elections, and he still enjoys considerable personal popularity, particularly in rural areas.

His continued absence from Cambodia will deprive his party of its best campaigning tool. The government has denied any involvement in either of the cases.