Thai police chief ordered to protect prosecutors in online gambling case

The national chief of police has been instructed by the attorney-general to prevent eight implicated officers in an online gambling case from intimidating two senior prosecutors, disclosed Prayut Phetcharakhun, spokesperson of the Office of the Attorney-General.

In the previous week, Attorney-General Amnat Chetcharoenrak penned a letter to police Chief Police General Torsak Sukvimol, requesting him to halt threats from the eight involved officers. The attorney-general has also called on the police chief to start an investigation and initiate legal proceedings against these eight officers, as well as ensure the safety of the threatened prosecutors.

The individuals facing threats are Kulthanit Mongkolsawat, head of the OAG’s investigation office, and Suriyon Prabhasavat, the OAG’s executive director for interrogation. The threats from the eight officers, who are still serving in the force, were evident as they had covertly taken pictures of both public prosecutors while they were on duty. These images were found attached to the suspects’ complaints regarding the roles of the two prosecution officials.

Earlier, the Royal Thai Police Office had requested aid from public prosecutors in the online gambling case. The attorney-general has suspended the roles of the two officials in the case until safety measures are provided. The issue could potentially impact the case investigation, Prayut emphasised.

Deputy OAG spokesman Kachen Thongpraiwan revealed that it was unprecedented for senior public prosecutors to be photographed during their work. Kulthanit and Suriyon had earlier this month filed a petition stating they received threats while working on a case revolving around online gambling websites purportedly connected to 25 year old Suchanun Minnie Sucharitchinsri.

Suchanun, suspected of operating online gambling websites involving senior police officers, was arrested on July 30 last year and later released on bail. She has denied allegations of running online gambling websites, claiming she was coerced by a police officer into confessing to a crime she did not commit, reported Bangkok Post.