Under the State of Cambodia government, an overlapping relationship between the judicial and executive branches remained, which was inherited from the colonial system.

The People's Supreme Court then reported this to the National Assembly of Cambodia stating that "the work of receiving and resolving suits is a matter of ideology".

[3] In June 1998, Dith Munthy replaced Chan Sok as president of Cambodia's Supreme Court.

[6] The Supreme Court of Cambodia has been criticized for not being independent of the Government, led by the Cambodian People's Party.

[7] In a 2021 report of the United Nations, it was noted that "the fact that the Cambodian Co- Prosecutor of the ECCC, Chea Leang, is the Prosecutor General of the Supreme Court of Cambodia, and also thereby a member of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, adds a further layer of conflict of interest.