By Prak Chan Thul
PHNOM PENH, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Cambodia has begun to enforce an anti-graft law that came into effect this year but some businessmen and analysts already spot loopholes that could undermine the legislation in one of Asia's most corrupt states.
Corruption is endemic in Cambodia. Watchdog Transparency International's 2010 list of most corrupt countries ranks Cambodia 154th out of 178 nations. Fighting it is something of a novelty, and expectations are modest in the near term.
"If they can enforce the law 70 percent, I'd be really happy," said Mong Reththy, chief executive of Mong Reththy Group of Companies, which has interests in agriculture and the ago-industrial sector.
A verdict in the first trial under the new law is due on Dec. 16. It involves a former Finance Ministry official who is charged with embezzling more than $600,000 by forging is pay cheques over a two-year period and squandering it all on gambling.
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