Police general to be charged over lottery probe

Pol Maj-General Suthi Puangpikul will be the only officer facing the charge while two other police investigators will become witnesses, anti-corruption police commander Pol Maj-General Kamol Rienracha said yesterday.
He was speaking at a press conference presided over by national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda.
Suthi was the chief investigator probing the dispute between teacher Preecha Kraikruan and retired police officer Charoon Wimon over ownership of the Bt30-million winning lottery ticket.
Suthi was accused of taking sides with Preecha who claimed he had bought the winning tickets but lost them. He has about 40 witnesses, including the vendor who had sold him the tickets, to support his claim. Charoon, however, said he could not remember the vendor from whom he had bought the ticket.
Suthi allegedly called both sides to meet in his house and acted as a mediator to settle the case.
Suthi’s office had in January revealed that the lottery tickets belonged to the teacher, based on witness accounts. Charoon then filed a complaint with Chakthip alleging unfairnesss and injustice. Chakthip then assigned Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in Bangkok to take over the case.
The CIB investigation led to the order to transfer Suthi to the police headquarters in Bangkok to ensure fairness and transparency in the investigation.
In the transfer order, two investigators told the CIB team that Suthi had allegedly ordered them to change investigation information, including witness accounts, to support Preecha’s claim of ownership of the tickets.
Speaking at the same press conference, CIB commissioner Pol Lt-General Thitirat Nongharnpitak said Suthi’s “low maturity and inexperience” had resulted in his mishandling of the case.
“Suthi did not handle the case with any ulterior motive but he followed his own belief that the tickets belonged to the teacher. That was wrong, as police have to follow evidence. He acted that way because of his low maturity and inexperience,” Thitirat said.
He was not guilt until he changed the investigation information, he said.
Police have not yet revealed the legitimate owner of the tickets. But their arrest of the teacher and the ticket vendor for filing false information against Charoon, implied that the tickets belonged to the retired policeman.