Senior officers cite video, audio clips in ‘Big Joke’ bribery allegation

Senior police officers on Tuesday released video and audio clips that they said establish a clear timeline implicating former deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, also known as “Big Joke”, and five others in an alleged bribery case involving a commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiewphan, deputy chief inspector of the Royal Thai Police, Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiart Parnkaew, deputy commissioner-general of the Central Investigation Bureau, and Pol Maj Gen Prasong Chalermphan, commander of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), held a press conference at the CSD headquarters to present the clips as evidence.

Allegation centres on gold bars meant for an NACC commissioner

Trairong said Surachate and five alleged accomplices were accused by Surachate’s former subordinate, Pol Col Parkphume Pissamai, of offering gold bars weighing 246 baht to NACC commissioner Ekkawit Watchawalku to influence a misconduct case involving Surachate.

Trairong said the clips include conversations, mainly between Parkphume and Sombat Thorntham—an NACC subcommittee member and specialist—about plans to purchase up to 2,000 baht in gold bars for the alleged bribe. The plan, he said, failed to reach that amount and only 246 baht of gold could be obtained.

Six suspects named by police

According to Trairong, the five other suspects, apart from Surachate, are:

• Ekkawit Watchawalku, NACC commissioner
• Sombat Thorntham, NACC subcommittee member and specialist
• Samart, described as a civilian aide to Surachate
• Sorapong, described as the civilian who allegedly bought the gold bars
• Surasit, described as a civilian who worked as Ekkawit’s security guard

Video allegedly shows handover and official car leaving the scene

Trairong said one video clip shows the 246-baht weight gold bars being kept in Parkphume’s car and then handed to Surasit, who was driving Ekkawit’s official vehicle. The footage, he said, also shows the official car leaving the pick-up point.

He added that audio clips feature discussions referring to Surachate’s case during the NACC investigation.

Timeline: August 31, 2024 to November 2024

Trairong said the clips support a timeline in which:

• August 31, 2024: Surachate allegedly told Samart to deliver two boxes of gold bars, weighing 246 baht, to Parkphume for onward delivery to Ekkawit.
• September 1, 2024: Parkphume allegedly handed the gold bars to Surasit at the car park of the Southerners’ Association in Bangkok’s Ratchathewee district.
• September–November 2024: Ekkawit allegedly summoned Surachate to give explanations to the NACC investigative committee, before the committee later decided there were no grounds to suspect wrongdoing.

Trairong also said the gold bars had distinctive characteristics, and that sellers later recalled selling them to Sorapong.

Parkphume files complaint, police say he is a state witness

Trairong said Parkphume voluntarily handed over the clips to police and filed a complaint against the six suspects.

He added that Parkphume is not a suspect in this case and is being treated as a state witness. Trairong said Parkphume’s cooperation would not benefit him in relation to a separate allegation involving bribery linked to an online gambling network.

Police cite family pressure and personal grievance as motives

Jaroonkiart said Parkphume decided to come forward for several reasons, including pressure from his father, a retired police officer, who did not want the family’s reputation to be tarnished and urged his son to file the complaint.

Jaroonkiart also said Parkphume felt aggrieved that Surachate had left him to face an alleged bribery charge linked to an online gambling network on his own.