Warrants, arrest for CIB chief, 9 others

Warrants, arrest for CIB chief, 9 others

The Criminal Court on Saturday approved warrants for the arrest of Pol Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), and his deputy Pol Maj Gen Kowit Wongrungroj on serious charges including lese majeste under Section 112 of the Criminal Code.

Five other police officers and three civilians are also wanted for other charges under the warrants approved by the court.

The requests for approval of the warrants were filed with the Criminal Court on Nov 21 by Pol Lt Gen Sriwarah Rangsiphramanakul, the Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner, as ordered by Pol Gen Somyot Pumpanmuang, the national police chief.

A high-level source said all of the ten people had been arrested and were being detained at an undisclosed location for interrogation.

The 10 persons and charges against them are as follows: 

- Pol Lt Gen Pongpat Chayaphan, the CIB commissioner, on charges of lese majeste under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, bribery under Sections 148 and 149 of the Criminal Code, abuse of power under Section 157 of the Criminal Code, and violating the Anti-Money Laundering Act;

- Pol Maj Gen Kowit Wongrungroj, the CIB deputy commissioner, on the same charges as Pol Lt Gen Pongpat;

- Pol Maj Gen Boonsueb Praitheuan, on charges of demanding bribes under Section 149 and malfeasance under Section 157 of the Criminal Code;

- Pol Col Wuthichart Luansukhan, on charges of demanding and taking bribes under Sections 148 and 149  and malfeasance under Section 157 of the Criminal Code;

- Pol Sr Sgt Maj Surasak Channgao (Pol Lt Gen Pongpat's driver), on charges of violating Sections 148-149 and 157 of the Criminal Code;

- Pol Sr Sgt Maj Chatrin Laothong on the same charges as Pol Sr Sgt Maj Surasak;

- Pol Col Kowit Muangnual, commander of the Samut Sakhon immigration police, on charges of forest destruction and encroachment in violation of the Forestry Act and illegally building structures over public waterways in violation of the Thai Waters Navigation Act; 

- Sudathip Muangnual, Pol Col Kowit's wife, on the same charges as her husband;

- Sawong Mungthian, on charges of possessing carcasses of protected animals in violation of the Wildlife Protection and Conservation Act; and

- Roengsak Saknarongdej, on the same charges as Mrs Sawong.

All of the police officers had earlier been transferred to the police operations centre at the Royal Thai Police Office, along with Pol Col Akrawut Limrat, an officer of the Crime Suppression Divison who was pronounced dead at Phra Mongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok on Thursday after sustaining several spinal fractures in a "fall from a high place".

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