Thai Cabinet approves appointment of new DSI director-general
The Cabinet approved six senior Justice Ministry appointments, with Piya Raksakul set to lead the DSI after serving on a Senate election case panel.
- The Thai Cabinet has officially appointed Pol Capt Piya Raksakul as the new director-general of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), replacing Pol Maj Yutthana Praedam.
- The appointment is seen as a political move by the Bhumjaithai-led government, as the outgoing director was considered close to the previous administration, while the new appointee is viewed as aligned with the current leadership.
- This leadership change is linked to the handling of a high-profile Senate election collusion case, in which the new director, Piya, chaired a subcommittee that dismissed complaints against figures reportedly connected to the Bhumjaithai Party.
- The former director, Yutthana, was suspected of not aligning with the new government and allegedly leaking information about the collusion case to the opposition, leading to his replacement.
The Cabinet approved Pol Capt Piya Raksakul as director-general of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), replacing Pol Maj Yutthana Praedam, as part of six senior appointments proposed by the Justice Ministry.
The meeting was chaired by Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn in place of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who was on official duty in the United States.
The other five appointees were:
- Pol Lt Col Pongthorn Thanyasiri, director-general of the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection.
- Komol Prompeng, inspector-general at the Ministry of Justice.
- Tharinee Saengsawang, inspector-general at the Ministry of Justice.
- Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinil, deputy permanent secretary for justice.
- Nuntarath Tepdolchai, deputy permanent secretary for justice.
A report said Yutthana would later be appointed to a level-11 civil-service post or a special-expert post attached to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The DSI leadership had long been regarded as one of the first senior positions likely to change under the Bhumjaithai-led government.
Yutthana was regarded within the DSI as a close official ally of Pol Col Tawee Sodsong, a former justice minister, party-list member of parliament and leader of the Prachachat Party.
He rose to become DSI director-general while Tawee served as justice minister during the Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn Shinawatra administrations.
As one of Tawee’s key officials, Yutthana was assigned responsibility for the alleged Senate election collusion case and chaired an investigation into alleged criminal-association and money-laundering offences arising from the election.
The case made considerable progress late in the Paetongtarn administration, including the collection of information and evidence and the questioning of key witnesses.
A joint Election Commission (EC)-DSI panel referred to in the source as committee No. 26 also voted to pursue legal action against 229 people.
Yutthana nevertheless remained in office through the first and second Anutin cabinets after Anutin became Thailand’s 32nd prime minister and Pol Lt Gen Rutthaphon Naowarat, described in the source as directly connected to Buriram, was appointed justice minister.
The investigations later appeared to stall compared with the period when Tawee held the justice portfolio.
Some observers viewed Yutthana’s continued tenure as part of a strategy of ‘winning over opponents and bringing them into the blue camp’.
However, Bhumjaithai reportedly became increasingly wary of him after information from committee No. 26 allegedly reached the opposition, particularly the People’s Party and iLaw, as well as Tawee.
The ‘blue camp’ believed the information could not have emerged without an insider at the DSI or EC passing it on.
Yutthana came under suspicion because of his former relationship with Tawee, prompting reports before the end of the transfer season that he could be moved for ‘failing to switch sides’.
Piya, the director-general of the Department of Probation and a career official with a background at the DSI, chaired an additional EC subcommittee referred to in the source as subcommittee No. 36.
He was among the majority that voted to dismiss petitions concerning all 229 people, whom the source said included Bhumjaithai Party leaders.
The decision ran counter to the position taken by committee No. 26.
The source also said Piya welcomed Anutin at Buriram Airport in March 2026.
A photograph showed him offering a wai to Anutin as the prime minister stepped off a Royal Thai Air Force aircraft on his way to preside over a 2026 MotoGP World Championship event.
The article portrayed Piya’s appointment as the ‘blue camp’ replacing Yutthana with a direct ally.
Piya holds a Bachelor of Laws with honours from Sripatum University and a Master of Arts in political science, specialising in justice administration, from Kasetsart University.
He served as DSI deputy director-general from 2022 to 2024, director of its Bureau of Financial, Banking and Money Laundering Crime from 2021 to 2022, and director of its Bureau of Special Case Management from 2017 to 2021.
According to the source, Piya is currently a director of PTT Public Company Limited.
He previously served as a director of Thai Oil Public Company Limited from 2023 to 2025 and of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority from 2024 to 2025.
Source: Bangkokbiznews
