Corrupt former DSI chief’s 44.6 million baht assets seized

An alleged corrupt former Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief experienced a significant blow as the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases sanctioned the confiscation of his assets worth 44.6 million baht. This development, announced yesterday by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), marks a significant step in the ongoing investigation into Tarit Pengdit’s unaccounted wealth.

NACC Secretary General Niwatchai Kasemmongkol disclosed that this is the second case of unusual wealth concerning Tarit, who has been held at Klong Prem Prison since the previous year.

The initial case emerged in 2017 when the authorities confiscated a staggering 341 million baht worth of assets. These belonged not only to Tarit but also to his wife Wassamon, his nephew Piyaruek Atthakarnrat, and others linked to the company Piyathanawat Co, owned by his close circle.

The current proceedings result from the NACC’s decision to delve deeper into Tarit’s abnormal wealth. The investigation revealed that Tarit possessed assets worth at least 53.5 million baht, the origins of which he failed to explain.

The investigators also discovered other individuals associated with Tarit’s asset possessions, including Wassamon, who had some of her assets registered under the name Wanthana Pipatchaiyasiri. Consequently, these individuals also endured asset seizures.

The court, upholding the findings of the NACC, ordered the seizure of assets totalling 44.6 million baht from the overall 53.5 million baht presented in the petition. The confiscated assets comprised four real estate properties and three cars, all owned by Tarit.

Tarit bore the brunt of his unexplained wealth in 2017 when he was dismissed from the civil service. His tenure at the DSI was marked by allegations of being unusually wealthy, reported Bangkok Post.

Furthermore, Tarit was served with a two-year detention sentence for malfeasance, a consequence of unjustly launching murder charges against former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban. These charges were related to their management of the political violence that erupted in 2010, as per Niwatchai’s statement.