Prince Norodom Ranariddh said Tuesday he planned to file a lawsuit against his old political lieutenant, Nhek Bun Chhay, for forging false documents and abusing party trust.
Both men worked together while Prince Ranariddh was the president of the royalist party and government coalition partner, Funcinpec, where Nhek Bun Chhay remains secretary-general.
Prince Ranariddh said the suit against Nhek Bun Chhay charges him of unilaterally issuing a letter without the prince's knowledge and is based on a UN Transitional Authority for Cambodia penal code.
The prince has said a letter from Nhek Bun Chhay prompted an extraordinary congress that removed him as Funcinpec president in October 2006.
The lawsuit comes one week after the prince was sentenced 18 months prison in absentia on charges related to embezzlement, for the sale of Funcinpec headquarters. The prince has remained outside the country, claiming the courts are politically controlled by Prime Minster Hun Sen.
