Sentence reduced for Nigerian man jailed for fraud in Cambodia

A Cambodia Court on Thursday June 15 reduced the sentence of a 37-year-old Nigerian convicted of fraud.

Chimere Meze was convicted of fraud and sentenced to two years imprisonment in absentia in February. He was arrested in April and requested a re-trial.

Judge Ros Piseth of Phnom Penh Municipal Court said Mr Meze scammed a Cambodian woman out of $300 in 2016 by informing her she’d won a grand prize but first had to pay him $300 via Wing to collect the reward.

“Because he often phoned to disturb the victim and ask for $300 from her, she filed a complaint against him to police,” said Judge Piseth. “Police prepared a plot to arrest him.”

Mr Meze’s accomplices, Nigerian tourist Uchechukwu Vincent, 37, and his Cambodian girlfriend Sarim Kunthea, 27, were also imprisoned for six months to a year during the initial February trial. Judge Piseth recommended Mr Meze appeal the judgment within 30 days if he did not accept the conviction.