Wissanu to shed light on Surachate, Torsak conflict tomorrow
Srettha says legal adviser tasked with announcing investigation results but refuses to say if either top cop will be reinstated
Former deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, now legal adviser to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, is set to reveal the results of a probe into the much-publicised row between two top cops.
A Government House source said Wissanu will release the results provided by a special investigative committee led by Chatchai Promlert at 11am on Thursday. Chatchai was the former permanent secretary for the Interior Ministry.
Srettha shifted both National Police chief Pol General Torsak Sukvimol and his deputy Pol General Surachate Hakparn to inactive posts after a verbal spat broke out between the two. The PM then set up a panel to investigate the dispute, in which both cops have been accusing one another of being involved in online gambling dens.
Before joining the budget bill debate in Parliament on Wednesday morning, Srettha said Chatchai had told him that the investigation had been completed.
He said he has tasked Wissanu with announcing the investigation results, possibly on Thursday, but declined to say if either or both top cops will be reinstated.
“Please wait for the announcement,” the PM said with a smile.
A Government House source who has reportedly seen the result said the probe failed to find any wrongdoing on Torsak’s part, as the complaint against him for allegedly being involved in online gambling was pending investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
The report apparently recommends Srettha to reinstate Torsak.
However, the source cited the report as saying that Surachate could not be reinstated because the merit-protection committee of the Civil Service Commission was still reviewing his case.
These claims could not be verified by The Nation.
On March 20, Srettha suspended both Torsak and Surachate from duty and shifted them to inactive posts at the PM’s Office.
Srettha later returned Surachate to his post at the Royal Thai Police, but he was almost immediately fired by acting National Police chief Pol General Kitrat Phanphet for allegedly being involved in money laundering for an online gambling network.
Surachate then appealed with the merit-protection committee, saying Kitrat’s order suspending him from police service was unlawful. The committee is still working on his appeal.
