Deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said Tuesday he would not replace the investigation team handling the high-profile wildlife poaching case involving construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta.
Mr Premchai, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, was arrested, along with three other people, at a no-camping zone in the Thungyai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary in Kanchanaburi on Feb 4 on suspicion of illegal hunting.
Pol Gen Srivara also praised his men for the speed with which they were handling the probe against Mr Premchai.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha Tuesday voiced support for Pol Gen Srivara, saying every aspect of the case was being conducted professionally.
Pol Gen Srivara's comments came after the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation urged police to replace the team supervising the case.
Furthermore, he said the police would look into bribery allegations by interrogating Wichien Chinawong, chief of the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, to gather evidence and testimony to press charges against Mr Premchai and other individuals involved.
Questioning is set to be completed Thursday and additional charges relating to firearms and bribery would later be brought against the suspects before the case is wrapped up by the end of the month, said Pol Gen Srivara.
Pol Maj Gen Thawatchai Mekprasoetsuk, chief of the Central Police Forensic Science Division, Tuesday said forensic tests on three guns confiscated during the arrest indicated they belonged to Mr Premchai, while fragments retrieved from the carcass of the rare black Indochinese leopard belonged to one of the three weapons.
The examination found the gun was fired only once but the shot separated into eight pellets which hit the body of the animal.
- Earlier report: Srivara's controverial bow to Premchai