Rak Thailand Party leader Chuvit Kamolvisit said on Wednesday he would ask the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate four senior police officers - including former police chief Priewpan Damapong and former deputy police chief Pongsapat Pongcharoen - for lack of action over the exposure of illegal casinos in 2011.
The two other officers are Pol Gen Sathaporn Laothong, former police inspector-general, and deputy national police chief Pol Lt Gen Jate Mongkolhattee.
In August 2011, Mr Chuvit presented video clips showing a casino operating on Ratchadaphisek Road in Sutthisan district during the government policy debate in parliament.
Rak Thailand Party leader Chuvit Kamolvisit (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)
The list MP accused police of turning a blind eye to the operation because senior police officers owned the casino.
Mr Chuvit on Wednesday said that since he presented his evidence not one single officer had faced disciplinary punishment by the 13-member fact-finding panel chaired by then Pol Lt Gen Sathaporn, then deputy chief of Metropolitan Police Bureau, even though six senior Bangkok police officers including chief of Bangkok Police Division 2 and Sutthisan police station chief were transferred to inactive posts.
In its report, the panel concluded that the six officers, who supervised the area where the casino operated, were not guilty of any serious disciplinary offence.
The report was approved by Pol Lt Gen Jate, then assitant chief of Metropolitan Police Bureau, and Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen, then deputy police chief, before being submitted to then national police chief Pol Gen Priewpan, who later signed off and ended the probe.
Mr Chuvit said the four senior officers had acted “against the emerging evidence” in the case, because the panel had admitted that the casino was able to operate for six months after his revelation before it disappeared.
He accused them of malfeasance, reasoning they helped officers he alleged committed a breach of discipline to avoid punishment, which was both a criminal offence and a serious disciplinary offence.
Mr Chuvit said the recent transfer of five top police officers at Klong Tan and Bang Na police stations to temporary duty at Metropolitan Police Bueau headquarters for 30 days pending an investigation after casinos under their jurisdiction were raided would not solve the problem, because they would be quietly transferred back to their original positions afterwards.
He called on national police chief Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew to change punishment procedures.
The Rak Thailand Party leader repeated that he wanted to give information on illegal gambling dens to Pol Gen Adul, even though he refused to accept it. Pol Gen Adul said he already had the information.
Mr Chuvit said he was producing an 800-page travel guidebook to casinos across Thailand. The book, entitled “Travel and Casinos Nationwide – Amazing Thailand” was for free distribution.
“Those who are interested in visiting a casino in Thailand during their holiday, or the coming Songkran festival, can come and pick it up from me for free,” he added.