An Al Jazeera investigation into an alleged online scam empire in Cambodia has brought renewed scrutiny to the Yim family, whose members hold influential positions in the country’s police, government and business sectors. At the center of the story are Yim Leang, a senior police official, and his younger brother, businessman Yim Leak.
An investigative report by Al Jazeera’s 101 East has raised questions about the connections between alleged online scam operations in Cambodia and individuals with links to the country’s political and security establishment.
The investigation, titled “Exposing an Alleged Crime Kingpin’s Cambodian Empire,” focuses on Deng Pibing, a Chinese-Cambodian businessman alleged to have led an online fraud syndicate operating in the Dara Sakor area of Koh Kong province. According to the report, the operation was linked to large-scale online scam centers and premises allegedly associated with prostitution and illegal drug use.
Hidden-camera footage featured in the investigation shows Deng claiming that “all the police work for him.” The report also documents his use of a vehicle bearing Cambodian police insignia to transport an undercover reporting team around the premises.
The investigation further identifies Chiet Mony, an officer serving in Cambodia’s National Police Protection Department, as a close associate of Deng. She was reportedly seen attending social gatherings with him and accompanying the investigative team during its visit to the Long Bay project.
According to 101 East, Mony was also present in areas allegedly used for drug distribution and online fraud operations. The report states that she attended a meeting involving Deng and former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, alongside General Yim Leang, a Deputy Commissioner-General of the Cambodian National Police who reportedly oversees the relevant protection unit.
The investigation identifies Yim Leang’s younger brother, Yim Leak, as a reported business partner of Deng.
These reported connections have drawn attention to the Yim family, raising questions about its political influence, business interests and relationships with powerful figures in Cambodia.
Yim Leak: A businessman with connections to Hun Sen
Yim Leak has attracted increasing attention in Thailand amid allegations involving business dealings, luxury vehicles and suspected financial misconduct.
He is the chairman of the executive board of Cambodia-based B.I.C. Group, a conglomerate with interests across multiple businesses, and is described as an adviser to Hun Sen, now president of Cambodia’s Senate.
Yim Leak has also been linked to Ben Smith, a Western businessman who holds a Cambodian diplomatic passport. Both men have reportedly come under scrutiny in Thailand in connection with suspected business fraud and transactions involving luxury vehicles worth millions of US dollars.
Smith has been alleged to have played a leading role in fraudulent business operations involving scam centers staffed by Cambodian and South African nationals, as well as activities suspected of involving money laundering. These allegations have placed the case within broader regional concerns over transnational financial crime and online scam networks.
Yim Leak’s appearances alongside influential Thai political figures have also attracted public attention, prompting questions about the extent of his business network and political connections. However, photographs and associations alone do not establish involvement in criminal activity.
Yim Leak’s family background offers further insight into his access to Cambodia’s political establishment.
His father, Yim Chhaily, is a senior figure in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), led by Hun Sen. He has represented Banteay Meanchey province and served as Cambodia’s Minister of Rural Development.
In 2023, King Norodom Sihamoni appointed Yim Chhaily as a Supreme Personal Adviser to the King, with a rank equivalent to that of a deputy prime minister. Hun Sen has also publicly extended birthday greetings to Yim Chhaily, reflecting their longstanding political relationship.
The relationship between the Yim and Hun families extends beyond politics, with marriage and other family ties further connecting the two circles.
Yim Leang: A senior police official
Yim Leang (Khmer: យឹម លាង), Yim Leak’s elder brother, has held senior positions in Cambodia’s military and police establishments.
According to Cambodian media outlet Kampuchea Thmey, Yim Leang has served as a Deputy Commissioner-General of the National Police and as a deputy military commander associated with Senate President Say Chhum. In 2011, he was appointed commander of the personal bodyguard unit of the late Chea Sim, the former president of the Senate.
On April 3, 2020, Hun Sen issued a sub-decree transferring Yim Leang from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to the Cambodian National Police, where he assumed the position of Deputy Commissioner-General. Before the transfer, he had served as Deputy Commander of the Joint Staff of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
Yim Leang’s influence also extends through family connections. He is the son-in-law of Chea Sophara, a senior Cambodian politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction.
Yim Leang was also appointed to head the secretariat of the National Authority for Land Dispute Resolution, which handles land-related complaints and disputes nationwide. He has reportedly received direct instructions from Hun Sen concerning land issues.
His position within the national police is particularly relevant to the 101 East investigation. The report identifies the Protection Department as the unit commanded by Yim Leang and names Chiet Mony as an officer serving within it.
The reported connection between Mony, Deng Pibing and Yim Leang has raised questions about potential overlaps between Cambodia’s security apparatus and individuals associated with alleged criminal enterprises. The report, however, does not by itself establish that Yim Leang participated in or knowingly facilitated Deng’s alleged activities.
A family network spanning politics and business
The Yim family’s reach extends beyond Yim Leang and Yim Leak. Other family members have occupied prominent positions in Cambodian politics, public service and business.
Yim Chay Lin: A connection to Hun Sen’s family
Yim Chay Lin (Khmer: យឹម ឆៃលីន), the daughter of Yim Chhaily, is married to Hun Many, the youngest son of Hun Sen.
She serves as honorary president of the medical association under the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia, an organization involved in humanitarian assistance and medical services for disadvantaged communities.
Cambodian media have portrayed her as a prominent public figure who supports young women facing bullying or mistreatment. Publications have also highlighted her social standing, fashion and public appearances.
Beyond her charitable activities, Yim Chay Lin serves as a director at TEHO International, the developer associated with the Bay condominium project. She has also been described by Cambodian media as the first Cambodian woman to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
Her marriage to Hun Many represents one of the clearest family links between the Yim and Hun dynasties, reinforcing the close relationships between their respective political and social circles.
Yim Leat: From public administration to parliament
Yim Leat (Khmer: យឹម លាត), another son of Yim Chhaily, has pursued a career in government and politics.
According to Kampuchea Thmey, he studied in France before moving to the United States in 2001, where he attended Fairmont Academy. In 2009, he obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in finance from DeVry University.
He subsequently served as Deputy Secretary-General of the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development before entering electoral politics as a Cambodian People’s Party candidate representing Kampong Thom province.
Following the 2018 general election, he entered the National Assembly and became its youngest member at the time. He later served on the assembly’s Commission on Economy, Finance, Banking and Auditing.
In 2023, King Norodom Sihamoni appointed him Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, a position carrying ministerial rank, according to the cited Cambodian media reports.
His career illustrates the family’s presence across several branches of public administration, from political representation to economic policymaking.
Yim Leak: Business interests and land concessions
Among the family members, Yim Leak has attracted particular scrutiny over his business activities and reported access to valuable land.
As chairman of the executive board of B.I.C. Group, he oversees a business group with multiple subsidiaries. Cambodian media have described him as a prominent tycoon, while reports have identified his wife as a Thai businesswoman with interests in several Thai companies.
An independent Cambodian media outlet has reported that Yim Leak purchased two luxury vehicles worth a combined US$7 million. The report questioned how such purchases could be financed and linked his wealth to land allocations reportedly granted under Hun Sen’s administration.
According to the outlet, Yim Leak received access to nearly 1,000 hectares within Koh Rong National Park through a combination of land transfers, leases and business-use arrangements. The reported allocations included a portion allegedly transferred into private ownership, another 500 hectares leased to him and an additional 250 hectares made available for companies associated with him.
These claims raise broader questions about the management of protected land, the allocation of state assets and the relationship between political influence and private wealth in Cambodia. The precise legal status and terms of the reported land arrangements would need to be established through official records.
Koh Rong National Park is part of Cambodia’s valuable coastal tourism landscape, known for its white-sand beaches and clear turquoise waters. Its environmental and economic significance makes questions surrounding development rights and land concessions particularly sensitive.
The Cambodian Daily has previously reported concerns over the allocation of land in protected areas to wealthy businesspeople and politically connected individuals, including people associated with Hun Sen and his family. The outlet has also highlighted the case of businessman Ly Yong Phat.
Such reports form part of a wider debate over land governance, environmental protection and the concentration of economic opportunities among Cambodia’s political and business elites.
Yim Leak and Ben Smith: Personal advisers to Hun Sen
The relationship between Yim Leak and Hun Sen was further formalized through a royal decree dated April 30, 2024, which appointed both Yim Leak and Ben Smith as personal advisers to Hun Sen in his capacity as president of the Senate.
The appointments underscore their formal access to one of Cambodia’s most influential political figures. However, an advisory appointment does not in itself establish involvement in any alleged criminal activity.
The two men subsequently attracted attention from Thai authorities amid a broader crackdown on suspected financial networks and business activities associated with Cambodian-linked figures.
As tensions between Thailand and Cambodia intensified, scrutiny of suspected financial links became intertwined with wider bilateral disputes. The case involving Yim Leak and Smith therefore came to occupy a space where law enforcement, financial investigations and regional politics intersect.
Chea Tharith, a spokesperson for the Cambodian People’s Party, reportedly told Cambodian media that the party was unconcerned about Thailand freezing or seizing assets. He also argued that Thailand lacked the authority to arrest Cambodian government officials, referring to the men’s positions as personal advisers to Hun Sen.
The remarks reflect the diplomatic sensitivities surrounding investigations into individuals who maintain close relationships with senior Cambodian figures.
Some Cambodian media outlets have also expressed concern that allegations involving prominent businessmen and suspected criminal networks could further damage the country’s international reputation. Commentators cited by these outlets have called for stronger action against suspected criminal activity to prevent the issue from becoming another source of pressure in Thailand–Cambodia relations.
The questions surrounding the Yim family
The 101 East investigation has placed the reported relationship between Deng Pibing, police officer Chiet Mony and senior police official Yim Leang under renewed scrutiny. Its identification of Yim Leak as Deng’s reported business partner adds another dimension to the story, linking the alleged scam operation to a businessman with political connections and interests in Thailand.
The wider family network includes senior officials, legislators, business executives and relatives connected by marriage to Hun Sen’s family. These relationships demonstrate the Yim family’s extensive presence in Cambodia’s political and economic establishment.
Yet the central question is not simply how influential the family is. It is whether the reported connections between business interests, security officials and alleged criminal operations reveal weaknesses in Cambodia’s institutions and oversight mechanisms.
Establishing the answers will require scrutiny of documentary evidence, financial transactions, land concessions and the specific roles of the individuals involved. Political relationships and business associations may warrant investigation, but they should not be treated as proof of criminal wrongdoing.
For Thailand and the wider region, the stakes extend beyond the fortunes of a single Cambodian family. The case highlights the continuing challenge of tackling cross-border scam networks while ensuring that investigations are based on verifiable evidence and that individuals are held accountable through due process.
By The Better International News Team
Photo: Yim Leak and Ben Smith (image from វិមាន៧មករា)
