PUBLISHED : 25 Aug 2023 at 04:00
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has set up a team tasked with directing an ongoing police investigation into the alleged extortion of about 140 million baht from an online gambling network by a Chon Buri police chief and nine others back in May.
Wacharin Phanurat, deputy chief of the OAG’s Department of Investigation (DoI), was assigned on Wednesday to head the team, OAG spokesman Kosolwat Inthuchanyong said yesterday.
Prior to Mr Wacharin’s appointment, DoI chief Kunthanit Mongkonsawat had called a meeting on Wednesday with the team following an instruction by Attorney-General Naree Thanthasathian to do so, the spokesman said.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) had ordered the return of the extortion case to the police and asked the team to help with the rest of the investigation, he said.
Police had forwarded the case to the NACC, along with a request for it to handle the case as police believed it involved malfeasance, but the NACC apparently didn’t agree, he said.
In June, three Chon Buri police officers, who were among 10 parties accused of being involved in the 140-million-baht extortion, petitioned the OAG to look into the police investigation against them.
They were Pol Lt Col Sathian Ratchapongthai, deputy superintendent at Nong Kham station in Chon Buri; Pol Maj Nakhonrat Nonseelad, an investigator at Nong Kham station; and Pol Capt Somboon Butdalert, deputy commander of Phlu Ta Luang station.
They reportedly became concerned after a report said they had violated new regulations requiring officers to take video and audio recordings during arrest procedures from the beginning to the end. The three said they didn’t follow the new regulations and asked the OAG to look into how other police were investigating their case, fearing they may be unfairly treated.
On May 23, the three arrested Thaninwat Udomchaowaset, the prime suspect behind the illegal gambling site Foxbet168 in Bangkok. However, there were no video or audio recordings of the arrest.
During the arrest, the three allegedly took Mr Thaninwat to meet Chon Buri police chief Pol Maj Gen Kamphon Leelaprapapor, where the alleged extortion attempt occurred.