Mistress costs Cambodian royal heavily

PRINCELY WOES: Cambodia’s Prince Norodom Ranariddh has been charged with adultery for having a mistress while he is still legally married to his wife (AP Photo ) .
PHNOM PENH: Prince Norodom Ranariddh, recently sentenced in absentia to 18 months in prison in an embezzlement lawsuit, has been charged with adultery for having a mistress while he is still legally married to his wife.
The prince, a former prime minister, faces up to a year in prison and fines of up to $245 if convicted, said Sok Kalyan, a prosecutor at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, adding that he filed the charge against the prince last month.
He said Ranariddh "has committed adultery with his legally married wife Marie Ranariddh" by abandoning her to live with his mistress Ouk Phalla, a former Cambodian classical dancer. The prince also has a 3-year-old son with the mistress.
The charge, stemming from a recent lawsuit from Marie, was filed under an adultery law that was adopted by Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party-dominated legislature August last year.
Supporters of the law have said it is intended to make married couples live in harmony, happiness and with dignity.
But its opponents have said it is unnecessary while Cambodia has other higher priorities to tackle, such as corruption and poverty.
Muth Chantha, a spokesman for Ranariddh, described the adultery charge as "politically motivated" to prevent the prince from returning to take part fully in political activity in Cambodia.
Ranariddh is currently living in France.