Alleged gambling den boss acquitted for lack of evidence
The Criminal Court on Friday dismissed a case against a suspected gambling den boss on the eastern seaboard due to a lack of clinching evidence against him.
Somchai Jutikitdecha, aka Longjoo Somchai, and three others were accused of violating the gambling and money-laundering laws, as well as the emergency decree by allegedly operating illegal gambling dens in Rayong and Chonburi provinces between July 1 and August 17, 2020.
The court found on Friday that testimonies by prosecution witnesses contained several questionable points and could not confirm that the defendants had actually committed the alleged offences. Therefore, the court decided to drop the case against Somchai and the other defendants.
Somchai had been linked to a network of illegal gambling dens in the eastern seaboard, particularly in Rayong and Chonburi, that were found to be the source of several Covid-19 clusters in the first year of the global pandemic.
