By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER SRETTHA Thavisin was yesterday (Mar. 27) encouraged to promptly take legal action against suspended Police Chief Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukvimol suspected of involvement in money-extortion, laundering scams.
Prominent lawyer Sittra Biabungkerd insisted the prime minister issue a directive for the authorities to take legal action against the police chief on grounds of alleged involvement in the extorting and laundering of hundreds of millions of baht in cash collected monthly from illegal online gambling operators.
Sittra said he has gathered pieces of evidence from unidentified police officers and private detectives pertaining to the alleged extortion and laundering of the ill-gained money from online gambling operators to Pol. Gen. Torsak’s close relatives and others via “horse-account” holders on a monthly basis or occasionally contributed it in the name of the police chief to merit-making rituals at Buddhist temples.
The independent lawyer said he will give all those pieces of evidence including copies of bank slips which he has compiled to Deputy Central Investigation Bureau Commissioner Pol. Maj. Gen. Jaroonkiat Pankaew today in anticipation of an in-depth investigation into the clandestine extortion, laundering conspiracies allegedly involving Pol. Gen. Torsak, a police lieutenant colonel personally close to the police chief and a police senior sergeant major.
Pol. Gen. Torsak and Deputy Police Chief Pol. Gen. Surachate Hakparn have been suspended at an order of the prime minister from doing their duties at the height of mutual conflict over the criminal scandals. Pol. Gen. Surachate has been separately charged with involvement in similar extorting, money-laundering scams.
Both were ordered by the prime minister to be currently attached to the Prime Minister’s Office at Government House, pending investigation into the kickback and money-laundering scandals in a 60-day period by a three-member committee named by the prime minister.
However, Sittra said the ongoing probe by the panel might obtain no hard evidence which could possibly otherwise find the police chief guilty of involvement in the alleged money-extortion, laundering scams.
Sittra said he would turn to the Move Forward-led opposition bloc for help if the Pheu Thai-backed prime minister dismissed his plea or remained non-committal.
According to the lawyer, certain plainclothes, non-commissioned policemen had quietly operated in disguise of Police Cyber Task Forces to extort and collect kickbacks in cash from illegal online gambling operators in all regions of the country and open “horse-accounts” at banks through which most of the payoff money had been syphoned off monthly to terminal recipients allegedly including the police chief’s close relatives.
CAPTIONS:
Lawyer Sittra Biabungkerd, right, and Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukvimol, left. Top photo: Matichon, Front Page photo: Amarin TV
Insert: Pol. Gen. Surachate Hakparn. Photo: Thai Rath
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