PUBLISHED: 23 Aug 2024 at 04: 00
A former Marine Police Division chief and two other senior police officers have been accused of being “unusually wealthy” by the National Anti-Corruption Commission ( NACC).
The first case involves Boonsueb Praithuen, former chief of the Marine Police Division under the Central Investigation Bureau ( CIB ), said NACC secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol.
According to an NACC research, Boonsueb demanded gifts from a group of petrol smugglers and reasonable energy traders to be deposited in five bank accounts held by him and his wife, according to Mr. Niwatchai.
A full of 36.77 million baht was deposited, some of which was spent on life insurance policies, Mr Niwatchai said.
The Attorney General has been advised by the NACC to take the results of its research and request that the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct circumstances seize Boonsueb’s fraudulently acquired property.
After being fired from the army for “gross administrative violations,” Boonsueb was stripped of his officers significant ranking and aristocratic decorations in December 2015.
Boonsueb was a near friend of Pongpat Chayapa, a previous CIB leader who was a member of a failed criminal organization in 2014.
Both men are now serving prison sentences for a number of offenses, including accepting and soliciting bribes, misconduct, and stability majeste.
Pongpat’s crew had amassed trillions of ringgit in money, house, earrings and other property, including a large selection of artwork and artefacts, all obtained from improper activities conducted between 2009 and 2014.
In the second case, the NACC reported that it was looking into allegations that Pol Col Noppadol Ninmanon, who served as the deputy commander of the Narcotics Suppression Division ( NSD )’s drug trafficking interdiction division from 2013 to 2016, made false informants who pleaded for money from his organization to be apprehended in 44 cases.
The rewards, amounting to 61.65 million baht, were deposited into his bank accounts, Mr Niwatchai said.
According to him, Pol Col Noppadol allegedly spent 6 million baht on a horse and a piece of land in tambon Rim Kok in the northern province of Chiang Rai’s Muang district, and another 1.3 million baht on two plots of land in tambon Tha Sai.
The attorney general is advised by the NACC to request that the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct cases seize the assets he allegedly illegally obtained.
The third incident involves Pol Col Phetcharaporn Mongphonmuang, who from 2015 to 2017 served as the deputy commander of the NSD’s drug trafficking interdiction division.
She allegedly made deposits to her bank accounts, purchased gold weighing 120 baht ( 1.82 kilogrammes ) and two land plots in Chiang Mai worth 2.2 million baht and repaid debts worth 713, 000 baht to a bank.
The NACC examined her income and determined that the amount of money she had available was insufficient to purchase the accumulated gold.
It advises the attorney general to request a copy of the assets from the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct cases.