Sanit wants more time to clarify payments from ThaiBev

Sanit wants more time to clarify payments from ThaiBev

Bangkok police chief Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn wants another 30 days to explain his 50,000 baht monthly payment from alcohol giant Thai Beverage Plc. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Bangkok police chief Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn wants another 30 days to explain his 50,000 baht monthly payment from alcohol giant Thai Beverage Plc. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Metropolitan Police chief Sanit Mahathavorn has asked the Ombudsman for another month to explain his paid advisory role with giant alcoholic drinks producer Thai Beverage Plc.

Pol Lt Gen Sanit cited his busy work schedule and the need to compile necessary documents as reasons for the 30-day extension, Raksagecha Chaechai, secretary-general of the Office of the Ombudsman said on Tuesday.

On Jan 24, the Bangkok police chief and Thai Beverage were ordered by the Ombudsman's office to clarify the job and monthly payment within seven days, or by Feb 2. The Ombudsman told them the seven-day period should be enough, because it was not a complicated issue and there were not many documents involved.

Mr Raksagecha said Thai Beverage had submitted a written explanation, but details could not be disclosed until the city police chief submitted his clarification. The ombudsmen would discuss the issue at a meeting on Feb 15. 

Pol Lt Gen Sanit has been receiving a monthly payment of 50,000 baht from Thai Beverage as an adviser to the drinks conglomerate since 2015, according to his assets declaration to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). 

Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, in December filed a petition with the Ombudsman’s office, asking it to investigate whether the city's most senior police officer, also a member of the coup-appointed National Legislative Assembly, had breached professional ethics by accepting the payments.

The Royal Thai Police last month explained that Pol Lt Gen Sanit had not breached police regulations, because the RTP did not prohibit a police officer from holding an advisory role in a company.

However, it was up to Pol Lt Gen Sanit himself to consider and explain whether advising an alcohol beverage producer was a breach of ethics, when he was responsible for enforcing the law regarding alcoholic beverages. 

 

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