Police submit bribery case against former deputy police chief to NACC

Police today submitted a case file implicating former Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the former deputy national police chief, in an alleged bribery scheme to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said police had investigated a complaint alleging that Surachate attempted to bribe an NACC member, Ekkawit Watchawalku, with 3.75 kilograms of gold bars worth about 10 million baht, in exchange for having his alleged corruption case—linked to an online gambling platform—dropped.

Charoonkiat said police investigators had also submitted a petition to the NACC opposing Ekkawit’s involvement in considering the bribery case against Surachate.

Surachate, who has been dismissed from the police service, and five other individuals, including several police officers, are under investigation for allegedly demanding kickbacks from an illegal online gambling platform.

Charoonkiat said investigators had submitted more than 10 video clips related to the online gambling probe to the NACC, adding that some of the clips will be shown to the media tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Royal Thai Police headquarters.

He said the clips are key evidence supporting the cases against Surachate and the five other suspects, including Ekkawit.

Ekkawit has denied accepting the bribe.

Charoonkiat also thanked Pol Col Phakphum Phisamai, a former close aide of Surachate, for providing useful information to investigators.

Phakphum, former deputy commander of the Region 4 Provincial Police Bureau, told the media on New Year’s Eve that he decided to speak out after about 10 years of silence because some of his subordinates had suffered after being unfairly forced to take responsibility for offences they did not commit.

He insisted that he did not betray Surachate in the hope of being reinstated to the police service.