Crime
Thailand’s National Police Chief Accused of Money Laundering
A whistleblower lawyer has submitted a police complaint on Monday alleging Thailand’s national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol and his wife, as well as the owners of two mule accounts, for money laundering.
Mr. Sittra Biabungkerd, stated that none of the allegations of misconduct he had filed under Section 157 of the Criminal Code had yet been investigated by authorities.
Mr Sittra, secretary-general of the Foundation of People’s Lawyers, presented 175 pieces of evidence, including bank transaction records, to Tao Poon police station. On Sunday, the Anti-Corruption Division received the same evidence.
Mr Sittra stated that he lodged the accusation at Tao Poon station, expecting the station to have evidence linking the accused group to a man named Pimwilai, a suspect in the BNKMaster online gambling case. The lawsuit also includes allegations of money laundering against deputy national police head Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.
“If I were not confident, I would not dare accuse the police chief because there is a high chance that I would be the one who would be prosecuted,” he claimed.
He also stated that he went to the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court to record the dropped defamation complaint filed against him by Pol Gen Torsak last week in order to further investigate the case.
Earlier, Nuttawit Netijaruroj, the legal team head for Pol Gen Surachate, met with the station superintendent to discuss further information that his client wished to submit.
According to Mr Nuttawit, Pol Gen Surachate denied that any of the financial transactions in question included him or his wife. Mr Nuttawit also stated that Pol Gen Surachate did not attempt to avoid getting the warrant.
“It seemed weird that the summonses were issued three times in ten days. Normally, summonses are sent about 15 days apart,” he added, noting that his client had not received any summons documents.
Mr Nuttawit pointed out that Pol Gen Surachate had not yet been accused of misconduct, and he questioned why the issue had not been referred to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. It had been 120 days since the accusation was first made with police on December 3, last year, and it was already past the 30-day period for filing with the anti-graft authority.
According to Mr Sittra, police corruption in Thailand is more than an issue; it is a crisis that erodes trust in the system. Cops there are frequently discovered collecting bribes, tampering with evidence, and abusing their authority.
It’s not all of them, but enough to make headlines and damage people’s trust. The underlying issue appears to be a combination of low compensation, a lack of control, and a culture that accepts these behaviors as part of the work.
Efforts to clean up the force have been spotty at best, with much talk but little meaningful action. It’s a difficult cycle to break, and until it does, the ones who suffer the most are ordinary individuals who can’t rely on the cops to act fair.
