PM’s family has infiltrated government
A supposed attempt by Tabcorp to win an online sports gaming license in Cambodia with a big business contract is under scrutiny by Australian and international anti-bribery agencies, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Elmer Funke Kupper, now head of the Australian Securities Exchange, was CEO of Tabcorp in 2009, when the company allegedly paid $200,000 to a consulting company associated with a sister of powerful Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The reported transaction took place when Tabcorp was looking to expand into Asian sports betting.
The Herald said few deals go down in Cambodia without the approval of Hun Sen, a “one-eyed, former chain-smoking Khmer Rouge commander who has ruled the former French colony largely unchallenged for the past 30 years. Under Hun Sen, his family and a clutch of their sycophantic cronies, Cambodia has earned a ranking by Transparency International as of one of the most corrupt nations in the world.”
The news outlet also said Hun Sen’s family “occupies a dominant position in the Cambodian political system and as such enjoys a huge amount of control of the Cambodian economy. … Dozens of companies control these business interests, often under the control of Hun Sen’s children or his wife.” Amid the flurry of reports, Fairfax Media says the Australian Federal Police will likely join the investigation.
Meanwhile, an unnamed spokesperson from the consulting company has denied that Tabcorp paid any fees to the firm. “Tabcorp came to Cambodia to work with us but after they did a feasibility study, they decided not to put any investment in the country. We have not received any fee … there was a middleman who may have received some fees, such as for airplane tickets, and this issue, I don’t know about.”
In a statement, Tabcorp said the company “investigated a business opportunity in relation to the Cambodian sports betting market, as some Asian countries were considering deregulating sports betting at the time. Ultimately Tabcorp chose not to pursue the opportunity and the business was never operational. Tabcorp takes its obligations under anti-bribery and corruption laws very seriously.”
Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Cambodian Council of Ministers, called the allegations “baseless,” reported the Herald. “The PM has no habit of receiving cash from anywhere or anyone. If a contribution from a private company is made, it goes to the social fund for building schools or roads. The social fund is not for personal use.”
In addition to his role as ASX CEO, Funke Kupper is also a board member of the Business Council of Australia with an annual salary of $3.5 million. He has also denied any knowledge of an illicit payment.
“I can’t recall anything like that,” he said. “You should always contact the company in relation to these matters.”
