Court approves age test on tusks found in tycoon’s home
THE CRIMINAL Court on Monday approved a request by scandal-tainted construction tycoon Premchai Karnasutra’s wife that the four elephant tusks seized from the couple’s home earlier this year be submitted to two universities for age tests.
Police are now required to hand the tusks over to the court on October 8, after which they will be sent to Chulalongkorn and Mahidol universities for examination.
The request is part of the defence by Premchai, his wife Kanitta and her aide Wandee Somphum.
The three defendants are facing several charges over their possession of smuggled African elephant tusks.
The tusks were found when Premchai and Kanitta’s mansion was raided on February 7.
Evidence of hunting
The search was conducted after Premchai and his three alleged accomplices were arrested in February after officials found evidence that they had hunted wild animals, including a highly endangered black leopard, in Thung Yai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary, Kanchanaburi province..
To date, Premchai, Kanitta and Wandee have denied all charges.
Kanitta claimed she inherited the tusks and had already declared them in line with the Ivory Act of BE2558.
The three defendants have been released on Bt300,000 bail each.