Criminal Court releases Premchai on bail in SAO building collapse case
Criminal Court grants Premchai Karnasuta bail in SAO building collapse case, citing health issues and low flight risk.
The Criminal Court on Wednesday approved the temporary release of Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD), in the case concerning the collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) building under construction, where he stands as a co-defendant.
Premchai is the 17th defendant, and he, along with 22 other suspects, was arraigned in the Criminal Court in August for allegedly committing 67 counts of wrongdoing blamed for the SAO building collapse on March 28.
On Wednesday, the Criminal Court ruled that Premchai was unlikely to flee and that he had poor health. Therefore, the court allowed him to be released on bail after posting assets worth 1.5 million baht as a guarantee. The court also ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and prohibited him from travelling abroad without prior approval from the court.
In its detailed decision to approve Premchai's bail, the court reasoned that Premchai was charged with only one count in the case as a co-defendant. Moreover, the court explained that Premchai was an authorised director of ITD with a permanent home address and no signs of attempting to flee. The court noted that Premchai had pleaded innocent and had already been detained for some time.
The court added that it had learned that Premchai had surrendered and cooperated well with investigators by handing over evidence and related documents and had always reported to investigators for scheduled interrogations. It also stated that there was no evidence suggesting that Premchai had attempted to tamper with evidence.
The court further noted that Premchai, aged 71, is elderly and has co-morbidities, which affect his mobility and require close care from doctors.
Considering the low risk of Premchai attempting to escape, the court approved his temporary release.
On March 28, 2025, the construction site of the State Audit Office in Bangkok collapsed following a powerful earthquake that originated in Myanmar. The incident tragically resulted in 92 confirmed deaths and 9 injuries, with 4 workers still unaccounted for. At the time of the collapse, the building was 30% complete, and it was the only structure in Thailand affected by the earthquake. The collapse marked one of the deadliest instances of structural failure in Thailand's history.
