Court issues arrest warrant for 'Kamnan Sia' over bid-fixing case
THE Ratchadapisek Criminal Court yesterday issued an arrest warrant for former Kanchanaburi Democrat MP Pracha "Kamnan Sia" Pothipipit after he again failed to appear at Supreme Court to hear the verdict in a case of alleged government contract bid-fixi
The verdict reading was rescheduled for December 22.
A judge at the Bangkok-based Ratchadapisek Criminal Court was not convinced the lawyer’s claim that the ex-MP could not appear in court because he was being treated for injuries sustained in an August 1 road accident. The lawyer also claimed Pracha had a heart condition.
The judge deemed Pracha a flight risk and ordered his arrest. The court also issued an arrest warrant for another defendant, Wanna Lorpaiboon, a close aide of Pracha’s wife. The aide was not in court yesterday and the defence lawyer said he could not contact her.
Pracha, his wife Khemmaporn Tangjaiyen, Wanna and the late Thawil Sawasdee were defendants in this lawsuit. Only Khemmaporn appeared at the court yesterday.
The defendants have been charged with using force against, intimidating and illegally detaining a Wassadu Centre Co representative in an alleged move to fix the result of a May 2001 bid for the sale of steel cable to a state project.
In 2005, the Criminal Court found them guilty and sentenced Pracha to five years in jail and his alleged three accomplices to four years each. The Appeals Court reversed the lower court’s decision and acquitted all four defendants. The public prosecutor then appealed to the Supreme Court.
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