Judges have rejected Pracha Maleenont’s appeal against a 12-year sentence for price collusion over the city’s purchase of fire engines, boats and other equipment.
The announcement was made on the Royal Gazette website on Thursday.
The notification follows a meeting of Supreme Court judges who decided on Sept 3 not to accept his appeal because many documents the ex-deputy interior minister submitted were not “new evidence”, according to the website.
Pracha was legally allowed to appeal, provided he could show evidence that significantly changed the case.
He and Pol Maj Gen Athilak Tanchukiat, former director of the Public Disaster Prevention Office, were found guilty in September 2013 by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders for their involvement in the overpriced purchases that benefited Austrian supplier Steyr-Daimler-Puch Speczialfahrzeug AG (Steyr).
The deal, signed by late Bangkok governor Samak Sundaravej in 2004, came to about 6.6 billion baht for 315 fire engines, 30 fire boats and equipment.
Both Pracha and Pol Maj Gen Athilak, who has to serve a 10-year sentence, fled the country and are still on the run.
They are among five suspects accused by the National Anti-Corruption Commission of graft in the deal. The Supreme Court, however, dropped charges against the other three — former interior minister Pokin Polakul, former commerce minister Watana Muangsook and former Bangkok governor Apirak Kosayodhin, due to lack of evidence.
Pracha also faced another lawsuit filed by City Hall, the plaintiff in the case, which led to the Central Administrative Court ruling on April 30 last year that he had to pay 587.5 million baht plus 7.5% interest yearly dated from 2004, to the city.
The Geneva-based Court of Conciliation and Arbitration ordered Steyr to pay about 820 million baht in damages to City Hall, but the amount is only 10% of what is owed.
The city also has to pay hundreds of millions of baht to store and maintain the vehicles and equipment.
They have been kept in different storehouses during the decade-long legal battle.