China MoU to help ‘reform’ judiciary
China has signed an agreement to assist the Kingdom with judicial reforms and to share expertise in overhauling such systems, though one international expert on September 27 cautioned that China shouldn’t be considered “a model for justice reform in Cambodia”. Under the five-year agreement, signed on September 26, China will provide training and financial, judicial and legal assistance, said Ministry of Justice spokesman Chin Malin. China will help new administrative offices – created in 2014 – by providing training on managing caseloads, finances and personnel, as well as information technology, he said. “We still need support for [the administrative offices] to function properly,” Malin said. Judges would also receive training from China, although the specifics haven’t been decided yet. “We may have an exchange program,” he added. What’s more, China will assist in the establishment of a legal and judicial research centre, which will provide policy recommendations to the government on general legal and judicial reforms.
