PUBLISHED: 4:00 on September 7, 2023.
Itthiphol Kunplome, a former governor of Pattaya and culture minister, was facing an arrest warrant yesterday after missing his trial for charges connected to an condo development there more than ten years ago. His whereabouts were unknown.
Mr. Itthiphol, 50, was not seen yesterday morning in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung region, either at his residence or the business of his political party. The location seemed lonely.
Additionally, he failed to appear before people prosecutors, who were scheduled to bring him before Rayong’s Criminal Court on Monday for cases of problem and misconduct. A court warrant for his arrest was subsequently requested by the National Anti-Corruption Commission( NACC ), and it was granted on Tuesday.
Mr. Itthiphol is suspected of illegally approving the construction of the Waterfront Suites & amp, Residences condo project in Pattaya on September 10, 2008, when he was the mayor of that city, according to Kosolwat Inthuchanyong, a deputy spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office. The project’s landlord was Bali Hai Co. According to Mr. Kosolwat, the NACC brought the case before the OAG on August 3 and the solicitor standard mandated that it be prosecuted on Aug 30.
Mr. Itthiphol was charged with wrongdoing by the NACC under Area 157 of the Criminal Code, which carries a one – to ten-year prison sentence. The 15-year statute of limitations for the case may disappear on Sunday.
At the base of Khao Phra Tamnak hill, close to Pattaya Bay and Bali Hai Pier, the Waterfront property was built with two ray of land and 57 surfaces.
Both the project’s architecture and the area it was constructed on faced opposition.