Prosecutors lodge appeal
The Office of Attorney-General (OAG) prosecutors are to appeal to the Supreme Court over the case against former police inspector-general Lt-General Somkid Boonthanom and four other police officers in relation to the abduction and eventual murder of Saudi
Somnuek Siangkong, spokesman, yesterday revealed that the appeal against the detention of the five defendants for premeditated murder and concealment of a crime had already been submitted on Tuesday.
He said the Primary Court on March 31, 2014 and the Appeals Court on May 3, 2016 had acquitted Somkid, Pol Colonel Sorarak Jusanit, Pol Colonel Praphas Piyamongkol, Pol Lt-Colonel Suradej Udomdee and Pol Sgt-Major Prasong Thongrung.
It was reported that the courts decided that the plaintiff’s witnesses could only provide circumstantial evidence that could not support the accusations.
Al-Ruwaili, who was reportedly close to the Saudi royal family, was in Bangkok to investigate jewellery stolen from the palace of a Saudi prince by a Thai worker named Kriangkrai Techamong but he has been missing since February 1990.
Meanwhile, Somkid said that an appeal to the Supreme Court was normal procedure because if prosecutors declined to do so they could face pressure from the deceased person’s relatives. He said that once the defence was officially notified about the appeal, he would exercise the right to object to the move.
He said that he wasn’t concerned because the two previous courts’ rulings had proven many points.
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