Big Joke’s appeal rejected, removal upheld amid gambling scandal

Former Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, today revealed that the Police Ethics Protection Committee (PEPC) confirmed that he must leave his position. Big Joke disputed the decision.

The Deputy Commissioner and Acting Commissioner of the RTP, Kittirat Phanphet, issued an official document in April removing five police officers from their positions due to their alleged involvement with a gambling website called BNKMASTER and its associated money laundering scheme.

The five officers included Big Joke and four of his team members: Police General Kittichai Sangkathavorn, Police Lieutenant General Karit Pariyakate, Police Sergeant Nattawut Watwaew, and Police Sergeant Nattanan Choojak.

The order removed them all from their positions pending the investigation’s conclusion. However, Big Joke contested the order, finding it unfair, and submitted a complaint to the PEPC to investigate its transparency and legality.

The PEPC deputy spokesperson announced the verdict on Big Joke’s complaint today, August 5.

“The decision confirmed that the order for Big Joke’s removal complied with all legal criteria and regulations and was an appropriate use of discretion, making it a lawful order.

“The affected officers could submit a complaint to the Administrative Court of Thailand within 90 days if they disagreed with the decision.”

Big Joke has not yet commented on the announcement but he previously told Thai PBS that he would appeal to the Administrative Court if the PEPC upheld his removal.

In a related report, Big Joke recently slightly changed his name, hoping for better luck after his name made negative headlines in recent years. In Thai, his former name was spelt as สุรเชษฐ์. Big Joke added one Thai letter, “ช,” making it สุรเชชษฐ์. However, the change did not affect the pronunciation or its English version.

It seems the name change was not effective in changing his fate, following the recent PEPC announcement.