FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Police conclude Premchai bribe offer after event re-enactment

Police conclude Premchai bribe offer after event re-enactment

POLICE YESTERDAY performed a re-enactment of an incident in a room after a construction tycoon was arrested on poaching-related charges, and concluded that he allegedly offered a bribe in exchange for his release.

Joining police in the re-enactment and questioning were Wichian Shinwong, the chief of Thung Yai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary, who led the arrest of Italian-Thai Development Company president Premchai Karnasuta, and three other suspects.
Police said that the tycoon and his three companions were brought to the Thung Yai office at about 2.30am on February 5.
Pol Colonel Wacharin Pusit, deputy counter-corruption commander, said that Wichian told the investigators during two hours of questioning that eight people, including Premchai and Wichian, were in the room after the tycoon was brought there.
According to Wichian, Premchai allegedly told him: “If [you] release me, I can give you whatever you want.”
Everybody in the room heard the alleged offer because they were about four metres away from the other two men, and the light was on, so it was clear who was speaking.
Wacharin said police would conclude the gathering of information concerning the bribery allegation against Premchai before submitting it to their superiors on Monday.
Premchai, who is free on bail, will be summonsed to defend himself later. If charged with bribery, it will be the 10th charge against him. Meanwhile, Pol Maj-General Panya Pinsuk, commander of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, said police were collecting documents concerning the possession of elephant tusks by Premchai’s wife, Kanitha.
The four tusks were seized from Premchai’s house in Bangkok and DNA tests on them found that they were from African elephants, not Thai ones, as registered with authorities.
Panya said that evidence-gathering process would finish in two days and Kanitha would then be summonsed to acknowledge the charge of having the remains of a protected animal in her possession without a permit.
 

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