Former DSI chief Tarit gets jail term, bailed

Former DSI chief Tarit gets jail term, bailed

The Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced Tarit Pengdith, former director-general of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), to two years in prison for unfairly demoting a subordinate three years ago.

Mr Tarit was later released on bail of 200,000 baht, with a surety, pending appeal.

Col Piyawat Kingkate, former commissioner of the DSI's Bureau of Intellectual Property Crime, had accused Mr Tarit and Charnchao Chaiyanukij, a deputy permanent secretary for justice, of malfeasance in transferring him from the position of head of the Bureau of Intellectual Property Crime to the lower position of a case-specific specialist.

Tarit Pengdith

The transfer happened in late March 2012.

In the first instance, the Criminal Court rejected Col Piyawat's complaint, but the Appeals Court then ordered the Criminal Court to accept it for trial.

Col Piyawat also filed his complaint with the Merit Systems Protection Board under the Civil Service Commission. The board and the Justice Ministry later ordered his reinstatement.

The Criminal Court on Tuesday handed Mr Tarit a two-year term of imprisonment, without suspension of sentence, but later allowed bail pending an appeal.

The court acquitted Mr Charnchao for lack of evidence.

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