Construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta was released from prison on Tuesday, seven weeks before the end of his sentence on Dec 7.

The former head of Italian-Thai Development Plc had been serving time in Thong Pha Phum prison in Kanchanaburi for hunting wildlife — including killing a rare black panther — in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in 2018.

The Department of Corrections said Premchai, 69, qualified for early release because he was suffering from diabetes.

Premchai, wearing a short-sleeved blue shirt and grey trousers and using a walking stick, was picked up outside the prison by his lawyers. He declined to speak to reporters.

Because of his health issues, Premchai would be sent to Bumrungrad Hospital for treatment, his lawyer said.

Premchai and three others were arrested on the night of Feb 4, 2018 for illegal hunting in the sanctuary, which is a Unesco World Heritage site, in Kanchanaburi. They were found with several dead animals.

On Dec 8, 2021, the court handed sentences of two years and 14 months to Premchai, and ordered that he and his hunting partners pay 2 million baht in compensation for the damage to nature.