The world of golf may be unfamiliar with the name Poom Saksansin but PGA Tour stars Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson certainly know all about the baby-faced Thai golfer nicknamed “the Assassin”.

Former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, his ex-deputy Poom Sarapol and 16 other defendants were escorted to Bangkok Special Prison on Friday after being found guilty of offences relating to the bogus government-to-government deals under the Yingluck Shinawatra-led administration’s rice-pledging scheme.