PUBLISHED : 13 Jan 2024 at 04:00
Democrat leader Chalermchai Sri-on yesterday denied a rumour that he has family ties with a prime suspect in a pork-smuggling saga worth billions of baht.
Mr Chalermchai insisted he is not related to Li Sheng Jiao, alias “Hia Kao” (Brother Kao), one of the four people wanted by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) for a raft of charges including tax evasion, customs act violations and money laundering.
The arrest warrants were issued for four people this week as DSI officers raided five locations in Bangkok, including private shipping firms and cold-storage facilities, to seize crucial evidence.
Among the items found during the search were photos of Mr Li with senior civil servants from many agencies, high-ranking police, politicians and former cabinet ministers.
According to some media reports, Mr Li is the half-brother of a well-known politician and chairman of a trade association while his son, Karin Piyapornpaiboon, another suspect, has the same surname as Wirat Piyapornpaiboon, Mr Chalermchai’s elder brother.
Mr Chalermchai said he had neither blood ties nor a close connection with Mr Li, although he admitted meeting him at an event attended by businessmen and politicians.
He said Mr Li’s son had asked to use his brother’s last name, and that was all he knew.
“Even if the suspects were my relatives or close associates, they must face punishment. I wouldn’t protect them. Don’t politicise the matter,” he said.
He said when he served as agriculture minister, he instructed the Livestock Department to tighten control of imported pork and pork products. Any products without proper documents must be destroyed, he said.
Agriculture Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow yesterday urged the DSI to speed up its investigation into the case, which has been widely panned for its slow progress.
Capt Thamanat noted the suspect is the chairman of a trade association and it is not unusual for such people to take photos with politicians.
The DSI’s investigation followed the seizure of 161 shipping containers holding 4,025 tonnes of pork at Laem Chabang Port in mid-2023.