PUBLISHED : 30 Sep 2023 at 04:00
Police are calling for a transparent investigation into the role of Suchanun Sucharitchinsri, also known as Minnie, who is suspected of running online gambling websites involving senior police officers, including a close aide of deputy police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.
Newly appointed national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, right, and his deputy, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, pose for a photo yesterday after Pol Gen Torsak asked Pol Gen Surachate to clear the air. Police Photo
At Royal Thai Police (RTP) headquarters, Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phewphan, commander of the Legal and Litigation Office of RTP and chief of the Police Cyber Taskforce Unit 4 (PCT4), called for a meeting of the working team to set guidelines to proceed with the case.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong also told reporters before the meeting that everything has been documented and insisted police officers always abide by the rule of law.
The call for the meeting came after Ms Suchanun, 25, a single mother with a 5-year-old child, on Thursday night spoke to reporters to clarify police accusations. She was arrested on July 30 and got bail.
She denied running online gambling websites. She said she was forced by a police officer of the PCT4 to admit to a crime she never committed.
She also claims she was forced to frame Pol Col Phakphum Phitsamai, deputy chief investigator of Provincial Police Region 4, a close aid of Pol Gen Surachate.
There are photos and a video of her currently circulating on media of her posing with three others and singing a karaoke song with Pol Gen Surachate. However, Ms Suchanun denies knowing Pol Gen Surachate (alias “Big Joke”) in person.
She said she was invited to parties by Pol Col Phakphum a couple of times. Photos of her sitting on his lap or kissing his cheek were also posted.
She said she knew Pol Col Phakphum in 2020 when he was stationed in Loei. They were in a relationship for a while, although she knew he had a wife.
She said she also knew Pol Col Khemarin, a younger brother of Pol Col Phakphum, as she needed advice on immigration labour. Both Pol Col Phakphum and Pol Col Khemarin are among eight officers suspected of being involved in the illegal online gambling ring.