Cleghorn family claim Cambodia bribery

Foreign affairs officials are planning to meet the family of a former Wellington man jailed in Cambodia for raping five girls to discuss allegations of corruption in the case.

Graham Cleghorn, 60, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted in February 2004 of raping five young women, all of whom had worked at his home in the tourist town of Siem Reap.

The former Angkor temple tour guide maintains he was framed by the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre - an activist group involved in helping to prosecute sex crime cases - in a bid to garner aid funding.

However, last month Cambodia's appeal court rejected his appeal.

Now Cleghorn's daughter, Heidi Madeley, has raised allegations of requests for bribes in the case.

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Mr Peters today said family members of Cleghorn had written to him about the allegation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials planned to meet with them and hear their case.