MUKDAHAN: The director of the Mukdahan natural resources and environment office and a woman accomplice have been arrested for soliciting a 2-million baht bribe from a Lao timber trader.
Suradet Akkharat, 56, director of the provincial natural resources and environment office, and Thipkasorn Saengwiroonthorn, 27, were apprehended at a coffee shop near his office on Wednesday.
They were charged with colluding in demanding a 2-million-baht payment in exchange for facilitating the return to Laos of a large amount of phayung wood (Siamese rosewood) seized in an earlier case.
The arresting officers also seized 2 million baht in cash.
Pol Maj Gen Panya Pinsuk, deputy chief of the Central Investigation Bureau announced the details at a media briefing on Thursday.
The arresting team was led by Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiart Pankaew, commander of the Counter Corruption Division, and Cheewapap Cheewatham, deputy chief of the Royal Forest Department, he said.
The arrests relate to the discovery in 2006 of phayung logs worth over 600 million baht in 11 shipping containers.
Authorities found that the wood was from another country, and documents had been falsified to import the logs. Police arrested those involved on charges of illegal possession of the wood and using fake documents.
The case was finalised and the Supreme Court ordered the return of the wood to the company that owned it. As the wood was from Laos, several people had claimed ownership, Pol Maj Gen Panya said.
Pol Col Natnawit Sitthapirom, chief of the Counter Corruption Sub-Division 1, said a Lao timber trader, Khamsawai Prommachan, 51, of Pongsawan Wood Industry Co, claimed to be the owner of the phayung wood.
He had filed a complaint with police in February, accusing Mr Suradet, who was involved in the operation in 2006, of demanding 2 million baht to facilitate the return of the wood.
Mr Suradet had made an appointment with him to get the money in Mukdahan, he alleged. Mr Khamsawai alerted the police, and marked the banknotes to be paid as a bribe.
Mr Suradet met the timber trader at the coffee shop near his office. After talking for a while, the director of the natural resources office had called Ms Thipkasorn to collect the payment.
Police then showed up to arrest Mr Suradet and the woman, Pol Col Natnawit.
During interrogation, Mr Suradet denied any involvement, while Ms Thipkasorn confessed to all charges, according to Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiart Pankaew, commander of the Counter Corruption Division.
Police charged Mr Suradet with demanding a bribe and malfeasance in office. Ms Thipkasorn was charged with assisting a state official receive a bribe. They were both held in police custody for legal action, he said,
Cheewapap Cheewatham, deputy chief of the Royal Forest Department, said a disciplinary committee would be set up to take action against the director of the office. The harshest punishment was dismissal from the office, he said.