Appeals Court upholds drug verdict against socialite
The Appeals Court has upheld a lower court's sentence of two years and nine months in jail and a Bt200,000 fine for businessman-socialite Kan-anek Pachimsawat for possessing 0.676 grams of crystal meth or "ice" as well as drug paraphernalia.
At the verdict reading at Bangkok's Ratchadapisek Criminal Court on Monday, the Appeals Court described as hearsay the 66-year-old’s claim that the “ice” and drug paraphernalia belonged to a woman who stayed with him at a Sutthisarn condominium.
He was arrested on the night of February 12, 2015 at the condominium.
The Appeals Court judge deemed the offence serious enough in terms of its affect on society to warrant upholding the primary court's May 27, 2016 sentence.
Kan-anek, release on Bt350,000 bail since the lower court's ruling pending his appeal, was in court with his lawyer to hear the ruling.
He said he would appeal to the Supreme Court and applied for bail, putting up a Bt450,00 asset as surety.
The Appeal Court was considering the bail application.
Kan-anek's son, Kanphitak, ploughed his Mercedes-Benz into a Thong Lor bus stop in 2007, killing one person and injuring people in a road rage incident.
It followed a minor collision with a city bus driver.
In 2015, Kanphitak was given a 25-month prison sentence. He served the sentence and was released.