Baht-battle: Courtroom drama unfolds in 30 million lottery dispute

The Kanchanaburi Provincial Court was the stage for high drama today as key witnesses and defendants in the sensational 30 million baht lottery dispute faced off. Jaroon Wimoon, famously known as Uncle Jaroon, has brought a lawsuit against teacher Preacha Kriangkrai and ten others, accusing them of perjury.

The courtroom drama kicked off at 10am, today, September 23, with all ten defendants, including the beleaguered Preacha, making their court appearance to request bail, under the shadow of arrest warrants should they fail to show up.

Media reports highlighted the colourful parade of defendants. First on the scene was Tanukorn Luangmaiam, known as Mr Plan, who hurried inside the court, skilfully dodging the press pack. Trailing him was lottery vendor Rattanaporn Supatip (Jae Ba Bin), flanked by her lawyer, Suchapong Bunserm.

Brimming with confidence, she declared herself ready to post bail. Lawyer Suchapong confirmed they were well-prepared to battle the legal storm.

Next to arrive was Pananchaya Sukpool (Jae Kiao), who graced the media with a smile and nonchalantly noted her 50,000 baht bail had been posted. Jae Kiao, maintaining her innocence, stressed that she and her co-witnesses had always told the truth and were ready to defend themselves in court.

Proceedings took a personal turn as Jaroon arrived with his supportive wife and formidable lawyer, Sittra Biabangkerd, better known as Lawyer Tum. The stakes were clear: this legal battle was part of a broader war with three ongoing cases against Preacha. The first had already seen Preacha handed a two-year prison sentence, which he is currently appealing.

Perjury allegations

The second saga unfolded as Jaroon sued Preacha, Jae Ba Bin, and Jae Phat in a civil suit over the freezing of his bank account. Confessions were made, and a verdict is set for October 28. Today’s case, however, centred on Jaroon’s allegations of perjury against ten witnesses from the notorious lottery case.

Lawyer Tum framed today’s events as a critical lesson against perjury and witness coaching, painting Jaroon’s struggle as a fight against a deeply flawed system.

Amidst the tension, appearances by Patcharida Promta and the embattled Preacha fuelled further media frenzy as they darted into court, sidestepping questions.

Inside the courtroom, justice hung in the balance. After a tense session, Jaroon, his wife, and Lawyer Tum emerged, flanked by three eye-catching actors in the story: fifth defendant Buppha, ninth defendant Wasana, and tenth defendant Kanchana—all vendors from the bustling Red City market.

Dramatically, the trio approached Jaroon, apologising for their false allegations. Jaroon, gracious in victory, accepted their apologies and pledged to drop charges against them through Lawyer Tum.

In a startling declaration, Wasana revealed that she had been manipulated by Jae Kiao into signing documents under false pretences while hospitalised. Believing they were merely for lawyer appointments, she was horrified to find out they were used to lodge false complaints against Jaroon. Vowing to make amends, Wasana promised to retract her complaint against him immediately, KhaoSod reported.

The courtroom saga underscores a narrative of deception, redemption, and the relentless pursuit of justice. As the plot thickens in this scandalous lottery dispute, the public watches with bated breath, captivated by the twists and turns of a legal battle that has gripped the nation.