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Ambassador Mussomeli (left) and Director Mueller (right) cut the ribbon on the FBI's new Legal Attaché Office in Phnom Penh.
FBI Director Inaugurates Embassy's New Legal Attaché Office
Phnom Penh
January 31, 2008
During a two-day visit to Cambodia January 30-31, 2008, the Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Robert S. Mueller, III, inaugurated the 60th U.S. Legal Attaché Office, which is located at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh. (Legal Attaché Office is the official name for FBI offices located in countries outside of the United States.) Director Mueller's visit to Cambodia was part of an official tour through the region that also took him to China and Vietnam. During his stay in Cambodia, Director Mueller also met with various Cambodian government officials, including Prime Minister Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Sar Kheng.
As the FBI has no authority to conduct investigations in foreign countries, the Bureau works closely with Cambodian law enforcement officials to follow up on leads in this country related to cases that have a nexus back to the U.S. The Royal Government of Cambodia expressed an interest in having permanent FBI representation in Cambodia several years ago, but it wasn't until the Embassy moved to its new location in 2006 that there was actually space at the Embassy to accommodate a Legal Attaché Office. FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole announced the Bureau's intention to open a Legal Attaché Office in Phnom Penh during his visit to Cambodia in March 2006. The office is responsible for working with the Cambodian law enforcement authorities on a range of issues of mutual concern including terrorism; international trafficking of drugs, contraband, and people; and detecting and stopping Americans who come abroad to commit pedophilia. The office works to coordinate U.S. efforts with the Cambodians as well as provide Cambodians with support such as training. The Legal Attaché office in Phnom Penh, headed by Cambodian-American Laro Tan, also covers Vietnam.
"Cambodia is an important country to us for the potential of persons transiting Cambodia, using Cambodia as a spot for utilizing terrorism," Director Mueller said during the inauguration ceremony. "I might say in particular that our relationship as it addresses terrorism and the threat of terrorism has been exemplary and the exchange of information between our services has been second to none," he added.
Robert Mueller became the sixth Director of the FBI on September 4, 2001. Before assuming his duties with the FBI, Director Mueller had extensive experience as an attorney, including serving as the Acting Deputy Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice. The Director graduated from Princeton University in 1966, earned a Masters degree in International Relations at New York University in 1967, and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School in 1973.
