Phuket: Top cops scooped up in day of mass arrests

BANGKOK: Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Pol Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan and seven other people including senior officers, have been arrested on a number of serious charges, a police spokesman confirmed yesterday (November 23).



By Bangkok Post

Monday 24 November 2014, 09:16AM

Arrested: Central Investigation Bureau chief Pol Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan. Bangkok Post file photo

Two civilians connected to the arrests are on the run and another officer died on Thursday (November 20) after a “fall from a high place”.

Spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said the eight had warrants issued against them and have been arrested.

Police will seek approval from the Criminal Court today (November 24) for the eight to continue beign held in custody. The spokesman refused to say where they are being held or exactly when the arrests were made.

However, the Daily News newspaper reported yesterday that Pongpat was detained for interrogation on Saturday, the same day that the court endorsed the warrants sought by national police chief Gen Somyot Pumpanmuang and dated Friday.

Some media reported that a search of Pongpat's home turned up cash, in baht and US dollars, along with gold bars and land deeds with a toal value in billions of baht.

The warrants covered seven police officers and three civilians.

The other officers are CIB deputy chief Pol Maj Gen Kowit Wongrungroj, Marine Police chief Pol Maj Gen Boonsueb Praitheuan and Pol Col Wuthichart Luansukhan of the Consumer Protection Police Division, and Pol Sr Sgt Maj Surasak Channgao (Pongpat’s driver), Pol Sr Sgt Maj Chatrin Laothong and Samut Sakhon immigration chief Pol Col Kowit Muangnual.

The three civilians are Sudathip Muangnual, Pol Col Kowit Muangnual’s wife; Sawong Mungthian and Roengsak Saknarongdej.

The spokesman said Sawong and Roengsak are on the run and police are trying to locate them. He claimed the people arrested had confessed their crimes to investigators.

A police source said Pongpat is being held at Tao Pun police station and Maj Gen Kowit is being detained at Phahonyothin police station.

According to media reports, Pongpat and Kowit Wongrungroj are charged with lèse majesté under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, bribery under Sections 148 and 149 of the Criminal Code, abuse of power under Section 157 of the Criminal Code, and violating the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Boonsueb faces charges of demanding bribes under Section 149 and malfeasance under Section 157 of the Criminal Code.

Wuthichart is charged with demanding and taking bribes under Sections 148 and 149, and malfeasance under Section 157 of the Criminal Code. Surasak and Chatrin face the same charges.

Kowit Muangnual and his wife are charged with forest destruction and encroachment in violation of the Forestry Act and illegally building structures over public waterways in violation of the Thai Waters Navigation Act.

Mrs Sawong and Mr Roengsak are charged with possessing the carcasses of protected animals in violation of the Wildlife Protection and Conservation Act.

All of the police officers had earlier been transferred to the police operations centre at the Royal Thai Police Office, along with Akrawut Limrat, an officer of the Crime Suppression Division who was pronounced dead at Phra Mongkutklao Hospital on Thursday after sustaining several spinal fractures in a “fall from a high place”.

The spokesman said Pol Col Akrawut had been linked to the arrested officers but was not facing arrest himself.

Pongpat and Kowit Wongrungroj were transferred from the CIB to the police head office by the national police chief on November 11 with no clear reasons given. Gen Somyot said later that the two would be given an “important assignment”.

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