More work ordered on tsunami aid theft case

PHUKET: Orders for police to conduct further investigations into the disappearance of 2.05 million baht of tsunami aid money from Phuket Provincial Hall nine months ago have finally arrived in Phuket.

The Special Public Prosecutor in the Phuket State Attorney’s Office, Bantoon Thongtan, told the Gazette yesterday that he had just received, from the Regional Director of Prosecutions in Surat Thani, the order for further investigation of the theft and of government official Apichart Nooprod, who is accused of stealing the funds.

The case is in the hands of the Surat Thani office because of procedures dictating that high-profile cases, particularly those involving bureaucrats, must not be handled locally. In addition, Apichart requested that Surat Thani handle the case because he feared he would not be treated fairly if the theft were investigated locally.

Earlier, it had appeared that the order for further investigations had been lost somewhere between Surat Thani and Phuket, stalling the case.