Former TV news anchor Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda ate and slept well on his first night behind bars after losing his Supreme Court appeal on Tuesday for the embezzlement of MCOT's advertising revenue.
Corrections Department director-general Naras Savestanan told media yesterday that he had learned from the Bangkok Remand Prison that inmate Sorrayuth, 53, was in a "normal state of mind".
"He ate and slept well, and is adjusting to life behind bars," the department chief said.
On Tuesday, Mr Sorrayuth was sentenced to almost 8 years in jail with no suspension after the Supreme Court found him guilty of supporting a government official who chose not to report on extra commercials in his news show broadcast on the state-run MCOT TV channel from Feb 4, 2005 to April 28, 2006. This cost MCOT 138 million baht in its contractual share of the advertising revenue.
The court learned that Sorrayuth's media company Raisom had paid the official about 600,000 baht to alter the records. Evidence also showed that records of the commercials were erased with correction fluid 17 times.
The Supreme Court dismissed Sorrayuth's argument that there was only one offence, though it shortened his sentence from the 13 years and four months handed down by the Appeal Court on Aug 29, 2017.
Sorrayuth's staff member Montha Theeradet, 46, who coordinated the wrongdoing, was also sentenced to almost 8 years in jail, shortened from 13 years and four months.
Pichapa Iamsa-ard, 50, the MCOT official tasked with keeping a record of the commercials, was sentenced to a reduced 12 years in prison for malfeasance causing damage to the MCOT. Her term was shortened from 20 years.
The fine imposed on Raisom Co was reduced from 80,000 baht to 72,000 baht.