The Appeal Court on Tuesday acquitted veteran politician Suthep Thaugsuban's son and three others of encroaching on a mountainous area of forest on Koh Samui in Surat Thani, ruling there was a doubt that the area was part of a protected reserve.
The Criminal Court in Bangkok read the ruling of the Appeal Court for Tan Thaugsuban, 39, Pongchai Fathaweeporn, 55, Samart Ruangsri, 63, and Banjerd Laopiyasakul, 65, former secretary to Mr Suthep.
Earlier the Criminal Court sentenced Mr Tan and Mr Banjerd to three years' imprisonment for encroaching on a 14-rai plot, and gave a five-year term to Mr Pongchai and Mr Samart for encroaching on a 31-rai plot on Khao Phaeng mountain on the resort island. They were released on bail until the Appeal Court's ruling.
The court doubted that the plots were part of a forest reserve on Khao Phaeng because local residents had grown cashews and coconut palms on adjacent plots.
Public prosecutors arraigned the four in 2013. The alleged encroachment took place from Sept 2000 to October 2001.