PUBLISHED : 11 Aug 2023 at 04:00
The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, Region 8, has sentenced millionaire Prayudh Mahagitsiri to two years and eight months in jail over a land grab scandal, according to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
Commission secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol said the court found 10 former land officials in Krabi guilty of illegally issuing title deeds for state-owned land covering about 19 rai in Muang district.
The businessman was found guilty of aiding state officials in the illegal issuance of the title deeds, he said.
One defendant was initially sentenced to six years in jail, while the rest, including Prayudh, received four years each, he said. However, due to their confessions, the first defendant had his jail sentence commuted to four years, while the others had theirs reduced to two years and eight months each, he said.
He said the court also ordered the land titles to be revoked.
According to sources, Prayudh had already sold the land to others for 400 million baht in 2017.
Mr Niwatchai said those found guilty still have the right to appeal.
Also, he said that the NACC, in another case, has brought charges against 10 politicians, including MPs and senators, over illegal land ownership or aiding state officials in the illegal issuance of title deeds.