14/ 03/ 2008
Moscow, March 14 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Embassy in Cambodia confirmed on Friday that a Russian businessman accused of the sexual abuse of underage girls had been sentenced to 13 years in jail, but said his lawyer planned to appeal.
Alexander Trofimov, 41, was arrested on October 17, 2007, in his house in the popular Cambodian resort of Sihanoukville, after the parents of seven alleged victims, some as young as 12, had filed complaints against him.
On Friday, a Phnom Penh municipal court sentenced Trofimov to 13 years in prison and ordered him to pay $100,000 in moral compensation to the victims.
"Trofimov's lawyer does not agree with the verdict. He believes that the court failed to take into account a number of important details in the case," said Timur Zevakin, head of the consular department at the embassy.
According to Cambodian prosecutors, Trofimov, who was the head of the Cambodia-based Koh Pos Investment Group, had sex with at least 10 underage girls. The oldest of them is said to be 14-years old.
No extradition agreement is in place between Russia and Cambodia.
"We are in contact with Trofimov and his lawyer. The embassy will continue to closely monitor the situation regarding the case," the Russian diplomat said on the phone.
Cambodia has long been notorious for foreign child molesters, but in recent years police and courts in the country have taken a more stringent stance toward the sexual abuse of children.
Moscow, March 14 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Embassy in Cambodia confirmed on Friday that a Russian businessman accused of the sexual abuse of underage girls had been sentenced to 13 years in jail, but said his lawyer planned to appeal.
Alexander Trofimov, 41, was arrested on October 17, 2007, in his house in the popular Cambodian resort of Sihanoukville, after the parents of seven alleged victims, some as young as 12, had filed complaints against him.
On Friday, a Phnom Penh municipal court sentenced Trofimov to 13 years in prison and ordered him to pay $100,000 in moral compensation to the victims.
"Trofimov's lawyer does not agree with the verdict. He believes that the court failed to take into account a number of important details in the case," said Timur Zevakin, head of the consular department at the embassy.
According to Cambodian prosecutors, Trofimov, who was the head of the Cambodia-based Koh Pos Investment Group, had sex with at least 10 underage girls. The oldest of them is said to be 14-years old.
No extradition agreement is in place between Russia and Cambodia.
"We are in contact with Trofimov and his lawyer. The embassy will continue to closely monitor the situation regarding the case," the Russian diplomat said on the phone.
Cambodia has long been notorious for foreign child molesters, but in recent years police and courts in the country have taken a more stringent stance toward the sexual abuse of children.
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