Cambodian Parliament Approves New Law Imposing Life Sentences for Crypto Scammers

• The Cambodian Senate passed the Law connected Anti-Technology Fraud connected April 3, 2026, with 58 votes successful favor.

• Offenders whose operations pb to fatalities look beingness sentences oregon 15–30 years successful prison.

• Cambodia targets an April 2026 deadline to dismantle each amerciable scam compounds wrong its borders.

New Legal Framework Targets Cybercrime Hubs

The Cambodian Senate unanimously approved the Law connected Anti-Technology Fraud connected April 3, 2026, marking the nation’s archetypal dedicated ineligible model to dismantle illicit scam centers. The authorities follows a unanimous 112-member ballot successful the National Assembly connected March 30, 2026, and present moves to King Norodom Sihamoni for last signature and promulgation.

Justice Minister Koeut Rith stated that the instrumentality is designed to beryllium “strict similar a sportfishing net” to guarantee online scams nary longer run wrong the kingdom. The measures code assorted offenses including the cognition of “pig butchering” schemes, quality trafficking for forced labor, and the usage of cryptocurrency for illicit cross-border wealth laundering.

Under the caller guidelines, leaders of scam operations look 15 to 30 years successful prison, which tin beryllium upgraded to beingness imprisonment if the transgression enactment results successful the decease of a victim. Additionally, ringleaders recovered blameworthy of quality trafficking oregon torture look up to 20 years successful situation and fines reaching astir $500,000 (2 cardinal Cambodian Riel).

Regional Impact and Regulatory Outlook

The Cambodian authorities reports it has deported implicit 30,000 suspected overseas scammers and unopen down 200 amerciable locations since June 2025. International observers enactment that the crackdown aligns with caller sanctions from the United Kingdom against large fraud complexes operating successful Southeast Asia.

“This instrumentality is strict successful bid to service the involvement of the Cambodian federation and people,” said Justice Minister Koeut Rith during the parliamentary proceedings. Authorities are present focused connected achieving a full shutdown of each identified scam centers by the extremity of the period to reconstruct the country’s planetary reputation.