Five state officials and two civilians have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the sale of frozen fish seized from an illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) vessel.
A combined team of police and officials from the Customs and Fisheries departments arrested the seven suspects, including a former director of the Bangkok Port Customs Office and senior customs officials, deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said during a media briefing on Thursday.
Frozen fish, weighing 147 tonnes, were seized from a Somali fishing vessel. Six of the seven containers were taken to the Bangkok Port Customs Office in Bangkok, while the remaining container was kept at Phra Samut Chedi Customs Office in Samut Prakan province, Pol Gen Surachate said.
When questioned, those who boarded the vessel failed to produce the required permit to import aquatic animals from the Department of Fisheries.
The confiscated frozen fish, with an estimated value ranging from 300 million to 400 million baht, were initially being held for sale or distribution to state officials and neighbouring communities as part of a rationing system. However, authorities discovered that the fish had not been properly sold through the rationing process due to the use of a fraudulent list containing 96 individuals posing as buyers. The seized fish were found to have been sold to a single buyer, and the proceeds from this sale were not handed over to the state as required.
Police investigators began tracing the money trails and identified the seven suspects, said Pol Gen Surachate.
Police have charged the suspects with violating sections 157, 147 and 86 of the Criminal Code.
Section 157 deals with dereliction of duty, Section 147 with abuse of authorities in the appropriation of funds, and Section 86 with assisting any person to commit an offence.
Pol Gen Surachate said the police investigators have already submitted the investigation report and indictments against the suspects. They are now widening the probe into allegations that a major fish agent in Samut Prakan sold some of the seized frozen fish to stalls at reduced prices.
Customs Department director-general Patchara Anuntasilpa and Phanthong Loykulnanta, adviser to the department’s development and tax collection management, were present at the briefing.
Mr Patchara said her department has set up a panel to take disciplinary action against the accused officials.
Of the seven suspects, three officials, identified only as Mr Keerati, who oversaw the confiscated goods, Ms Sudarat and Ms Panwad, who were members of a committee responsible for selling aquatic animals, have been charged with malfeasance and dereliction of duty.
Ms Chayakorn has been charged with supporting corruption while Mr Boonma, former director of the Bangkok Port Customs Office, was found to be the buyer of the confiscated frozen fish but did not report the proceeds from the sale. He has been charged with supporting officials to commit an offence.
The remaining two suspects, who are both legal experts at the department, have been charged with dereliction of duty.