Son Says Nikolai Doroshenko Not in Hiding, He Is Just Shy

Cambodian officials have issued an arrest warrant for dual Russian and Cambodian citizen, Nikolai Doroshenko, on charges that he failed to hand over rights to investment projects to his partner, exiled Russian billionaire Sergei Polonsky, according to RapsiNews.

The projects are located on four islands near the resort town of Sihanoukville. Doroshenko, because he has citizenship in Cambodia, was handling Polonsky’s investments, because until recently, the law in Cambodia was that only citizens can be involved in such projects. The law changed in 2000, and Polonsky demanded the rights be handed to him, according to a contract he signed with Doroshenko. Polonsky fled to Cambodia from Russia where he is on the wanted list for the embezzlement of billions from Russian investors. The Cambodian government has refused to deport him, although he was arrested briefly in Cambodia and then released.

Nikolai Doroshenko’s son, Ostap, who is a Cambodian citizen and a captain in the immigration police force, denies that his father is hiding to evade arrest, “My father did not run away and no police are searching for him, ” Ostap told Cambodia Daily. “Every day, my father stays at Snake House for breakfast and goes to the hill, ” referring to the family’s restaurant and development project in Sihanoukville. “We have lived here a long time and we have a good reputation. We are shy  now. People are laughing about us. People say they run away now and it’s so funny.”

Ostap Doroshenko said that Polonsky is making trouble for the family, “We are very angry about this. Polonsky just pays money everywhere to make trouble for us. It is only because of money, but we are not rich like Polonsky.”