The wife of a former Samut Sakhon immigration police chief was remanded to detention Thursday on a lese majeste charge.
Sudathip Muangnual is escorted by police to the Criminal Court before her detention on a lese majeste charge. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
Sam Sen police said Sudathip Muangnual, the wife of Pol Col Kowit Muangnual, was taken Thursday for a 12-day detention period at the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road after the court approved the police's detention request.
Police said officers are questioning witnesses and checking whether the suspect has a criminal record. On Wednesday, Ms Sudathip, who was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on Dec 10 for lese majeste, was captured at a house on Soi Thawi Wattana.
Ms Sudathip was accused of citing the royal institution in helping her to win a contract to supply food for an establishment.
The arrest of Ms Sudathip followed a complaint filed with Sam Sen police by Air Vice Marshal Weeraphan Phuwajinda on behalf of the royal institution against her for the alleged misconduct.
Investigators said she confessed to lese majeste, punishable by a jail term of three to 15 years. The court denied a 1-million-baht bail request put up by her relatives, police said. Police had opposed the bail request, saying she posed a flight risk.
Ms Sudathip is accused of being a part of the alleged criminal network led by former Central Investigation Bureau chief Pongpat Chayapan.
Late last month, she was arrested along with Pol Lt Gen Pongpat, her husband and other alleged accomplices and charged with demanding money from illegal oil operators, running gambling dens and money laundering.
She was also alleged to have constructed buildings on forest land.
But she was not charged with lese majeste at the time because police did not have enough evidence. Authorities had released her on bail on Nov 24.
Meanwhile, Bangkok Remand Prison commander Aryut Sinthapphan said the Corrections Department has decided to keep Pol Lt Gen Pongpat and his network of police inmates separate from other inmates at the prison.
They are accused of taking bribes in exchange for promoting police officers, demanding money from oil smugglers, running gambling businesses, laundering money and citing the monarchy for personal gain.
Mr Aryut said the department had agreed to detain Pol Lt Gen Pongpat and other police inmates, including his deputy Pol Maj Gen Kowit Wongrungroj; Pol Maj Gen Boonsueb Phraithuean, former chief of the Marine Police Division; Pol Col Wuthichat Liansukhon, former chief of the Anti-Human Trafficking Division's Sub-division 4; Pol Snr Sgt Maj Surasak Channgao; and Pol Snr Sgt Maj Chattrin Laothong in Zone 1 of the Bangkok Remand Prison.
Also incarcerated are six others civilian men in the alleged network: Natthapol Suwadee, Sitthisak Suwadee, Narong Suwadee, Sutthisak Sutthijit, Chakan Phakphum and Chob Chinhaprapha. They have also been detained separately.
The "Suwadee" trio were formerly known as Akkharaphongpricha.
Sawong Mungthiang, charged with possessing the carcasses of several protected species, and Pol Lt Gen Pongpat's sister Piyaphan Chinnaprapa, charged with money laundering after allegedly taking money from her brother to buy valuable assets — have been detained at the Central Women's Correctional Institute.
Worakorn: Seeks justice for brother
Meanwhile, Worakorn Chiansoemsin, the brother of Sahachai "Sia Jo" Chiansoemsin, a fugitive convicted of document forgery and also suspected of oil smuggling in the South, is calling for justice for his brother.
Mr Worakorn and his lawyer Thursday submitted a document to the Metropolitan Police Bureau, saying it suggests police officers received bribes in oil smuggling.