Rangsiman continues pressing for answers about handling of arrest warrant against senator
Move Forward Party (MFP) spokesman Rangsiman Rome is asking the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate three senior officials in the Criminal Court in connection with the revocation of an arrest warrant against Senator Upakit Pachariyangkul.
The officials are the chief justice of the Criminal Court, his deputy and a judge directly in charge of the revocation of the warrant against the senator.
Mr Rangsiman said on Thursday that the matter had been referred to Office of the Judicial Commission. However, new information that only recently came to light indicated the involvement of a senior Royal Thai Police officer.
In addition, he said he had been following the progress of the investigation into the asset declaration that Mr Upakit submitted when he took up his Senate seat in 2019. Mr Rangsiman is zeroing in on the sale of a hotel worth US$8.15 million (280 million baht) in the border town of Tachilek in Myanmar.
Mr Rangsiman said the Office of the Attorney-General should conclude its case against the senator by the end of this month. That said, he also said he was concerned by the “VIP” treatment received by the senator and Tun Min Latt, the accused Myanmar drug lord who is said to have been Mr Upakit’s business partner.
Mr Upakit last week held a press conference to deny any connections with drug rings. He also denied allegations that he had laundered ill-gotten money through an electricity supply business operating on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
The senator suggested that attempts to link him with Tun Min Latt, who was arrested on a drug-related charge last year, were part of a conspiracy for political gain.
Sorawit Limparangsri, a spokesman of the Court of Justice, said a fact-finding committee is gathering information from various sources about the revocation of the senator’s arrest warrant for the Supreme Court president.
While the committee has 30 days to conclude its work, the deadline can be extended if necessary. The details cannot be disclosed as it is confidential, Mr Sorawit said.