The Criminal Court sentenced former chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) Pongpat Chayapan to another 15 years in jail on Thursday, raising the accumulated prison time ahead of him to more than 30 years.
The 59-year-old former police commissioner was on Thursday given 15 more years in jail for collecting bribes from some promoted police officers and oil smugglers.
In the promotion bribery case, the Criminal Court convicted and sentenced Pol Lt Gen Pongpat, former CIB deputy commissioner Kowit Wongrungroj, 59, and three others from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD): Pol Col Wuthichat Luensukhan, 46, Pol Snr Sgt Maj Surasak Channgao, 50, and Pol Snr Sgt Maj Chattrin Laothong, 48.
The court ruled that between Oct 1, 2010 and Nov 11, 2014 the five, together with the late Pol Col Akkharawut Limrat of the CSD, had collected bribes from many police officers in exchange for their being promoted and retaining their positions.
They demanded three to five million baht for each promotion and required promoted officers to pay between 10,000 baht and 2 million baht a month to retain their positions. Those who paid included Pol Maj Chatree Rungdamrong, a highway police inspector.
Pol Lt Gen Pongpat and Pol Maj Gen Kowit were each sentenced to 20 years and the three others to 12 years. Their terms were halved because they confessed.
In the oil smuggling bribery case, the Criminal Court found Pol Lt Gen Pongpat, Pol Maj Gen Kowit and Pol Maj Gen Boonsueb Phraithuen, 55, a former marine police commander, guilty of collecting bribes worth a total of 147.4 million baht in exchange for turning a blind eye to oil smugglers operating in Thai waters from February 2012 to July 2014.
Pol Lt Gen Pongpat and Pol Maj Gen Kowit were sentenced to 10 years in prison while Pol Maj Gen Boonsueb was given 15 years because he had also claimed the bribes would reach HRH the Crown Prince. Their terms were halved due to their confessions.
Pol Lt Gen Pongpat had earlier been sentenced to 16 years and nine months for taking bribes from gambling den operators, money laundering and forest law violations. When the latest term of 15 years is added, his accumulated prison sentence rises to 31 years and nine months.
Pol Maj Gen Kowit had been sentenced to 11 years in jail for money laundering and for taking casino bribes and his combined prison term increased to 26 years with Thursday's sentence of 15 years.
Poj Maj Gen Boonsueb had faced a prison term of one year and six months for money laundering. Thursday's sentence of seven years and six months raises his combined prison time to nine years.
All prison sentences in Thailand are cumulative.