Several officials at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers have asked Cambodia's anti-corruption body to investigate Dith Sotha, a secretary of state at the secretariat and head of its information and rapid response unit. They accuse him of misappropriating nearly $1 million in unit funds.

According to sources within the office, the money was either withheld or spent without transparency. The stated reason, they say, was to set it aside for grassroots party-building ahead of the 2027 Senate election.

The sources allege that Dith Sotha:

• Cut the annual fuel allowance for subordinate officials by nearly $10,000.
• Inflated work and mission reports to siphon off more than $60,000 from the unit.
• Added 13 officials to the unit's roster, whom they describe as “ghost officials.” The group reportedly includes his wife and other relatives.

The officials also claim that, on top of the fuel cuts, subordinates were required to pay monthly party contributions of 6,000 to 15,000 riels each.

They have urged the anti-corruption body to examine these claims and determine whether public funds were mismanaged.

At the time of publication, Dith Sotha had not responded to the allegations, and the anti-corruption body had not issued any official statement on the matter.

Cambodia's Corruption Ranking

In Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, Cambodia ranked 163rd out of 182 countries. That is down from 158th out of 180 in 2024. The ranking underscores ongoing challenges in promoting transparency and accountability in government.