Police bar Chinese bribe suspect from leaving Thailand

Guo Rui aka Gegee is seen in a picture posted on her Facebook page during the Songkran festival last month.
Guo Rui aka Gegee is seen in a picture posted on her Facebook page during the Songkran festival last month.

Police seized the passport and blocked the departure of a Chinese journalist arrested for allegedly demanding a multi-million-baht bribe from a suspected Chinese gangster to arrange for charges against her to be dropped.

Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said on Sunday police had turned down Guo Rui aka Gegee's request to leave the country "to attend a meeting" in Hong Kong.

Police prohibited the woman from leaving Thailand because she was a suspect and her passport had to be seized, Pol Gen Surachate said.

Ms Gegee, who is also a businesswoman, was detained on Friday for allegedly demanding 33 million baht in exchange for arranging the dropping of charges against another Chinese woman whose Thai name was Navaporn Phakiatsakul. Ms Navaporn is an alleged leader of a criminal syndicate involved in fraud, surrogacy and human trafficking. She reportedly paid 14 million baht to Gegee.

Ms Gegee, 44, has reportedly lived in Thailand for decades. She used to be a reporter and work as an interpreter for police and Chinese businesspeople in the country.

Pol Gen Surachate said Ms Gegee was released on bail of 3.5 million baht.

He said police had evidence to prove that Ms Gegee received 14 million baht in cash from Ms Navaporn in March when Ms Navaporn had not been in jail.

Pol Gen Surachate said he learned that Ms Gegee had used her close connection with him to demand bribes on mulitiple occasions, but police had strong evidence only in Ms Navaporn's case. He said Ms Gegee's husband was also involved.

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Vocabulary

  • bail: money that is given to a court when someone is allowed to stay out of prison until their trial. If they do not return for the trial, the court keeps the money  - เงินประกัน; การประกันตัว (deny bail (of a court) to refuse to allow someone to go free on bail ไม่ให้ประกันตัว)
  • bribe: money or a present given to someone so that they will help you doing something dishonest or illegal - สินบน
  • charge : an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime - ข้อกล่าวหา
  • connection: a relationship between people or groups - ความสัมพันธ์
  • decades: periods of ten years - เป็นสิบๆปี
  • deputy: a person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation - รอง
  • detain: to keep someone in a police station or prison and not allow them to leave - กักตัว ควบคุมตัวหรือฝากขัง
  • evidence: facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime - หลักฐาน
  • fraud: the crime of intentionally deceiving someone or cheating in order to gain an advantage or benefit - การฉ้อโกง การหลอกลวง เล่ห์เพทุบาย
  • interpreter: someone who changes what someone else is saying into another language - ล่าม
  • prohibit: to not allow; to ban - ห้าม
  • seize: to take something using official power and force - จับกุม
  • surrogacy (noun): when a woman has a baby for another couple, usually, but not always, a woman and man - การตั้งครรภ์แทน,การอุ้มบุญ
  • suspect: a person who is thought to have committed a crime - ผู้ต้องสงสัย
  • syndicate: a group of people or companies who work together and help each other in order to achieve a particular aim - สมาคม, องค์การ, สหการ , การรวมกลุ่มเป็นสมาคม
  • trafficking: dealing in illegal goods, like drugs, weapons or in illegally moving humans or animals from one place to another - การค้าสิ่งที่ผิดกฎหมาย
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