30 cops suspected over illegal gambling sites

The lawyers of Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn hold a press conference at a hotel in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)
The lawyers of Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn hold a press conference at a hotel in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)

Almost 30 police officers may be involved in a bribery case tied to an illegally operated online gambling network, according to a team of lawyers representing deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn.

The lawyers said the 30 officers were suspected of taking kickbacks from the BNK Master network. It is the same gambling network from which Pol Gen Surachate has been accused of taking bribes, they said.

Pol Gen Surachate's lawyer said the team had checked the available evidence and 34 bank accounts linked to the network but found no connection to Pol Gen Surachate, also known as "Big Joke".

The Criminal Court last Tuesday approved warrants for the arrest of three officers and a civilian over suspected money laundering in connection with BNK Master, which was busted last year.

Some reports said the court also issued a summons for a high-ranking officer, later named as Pol Gen Surachate, over the accusations. However the lawyers denied this. Police had wanted the court to issue an arrest warrant for him but they had insufficient evidence, Surachate's lawyer said.

There were attempts to discredit Pol Gen Surachate because he was now the most senior candidate for the national police chief's job, he added.

The current chief is due to retire at the end of September.

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Vocabulary

  • bribe: money or a present given to someone so that they will help you doing something dishonest or illegal - สินบน
  • busted: arrested, especially for offences relating to drugs, gambling, etc. - ถูกจับ, โดนจับกุม
  • candidate: one of the people being considered for a job - ตัวแทนที่ส่งเข้ารับตำแหน่ง
  • chief: a person with a high rank or the highest rank in a company or an organisation - หัวหน้า, ผู้นำ
  • discredit: to cause people to stop respecting someone or believing in an idea or person - ทำให้สูญเสียความเชื่อถือ,ทำให้เสื่อมเสียชื่อเสียง
  • evidence: facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime - หลักฐาน
  • gambling: the activity of betting money, for example in a game or on a horse race - การพนัน
  • insufficient: not enough - ไม่เพียงพอ
  • lawyer: an attorney - ทนาย
  • money laundering: hiding the origin of money obtained from illegal activities by putting it into legal businesses - การฟอกเงิน
  • retire: to stop working because you have reached the age where you are officially too old to work - เกษียณอายุ
  • summons (noun): an official document that orders someone to appear in a court of law or a police station - หมายเรียก
  • warrant (noun): a legal document that is signed by a judge and gives the police authority to do something - หมาย
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