Ex-senior NACC officials get jail terms in Gen Prawit luxury watch scandal

Two former senior members of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Pol Gen Watcharaphol Prasarnratchakit and Supa Piyajitti, were sentenced to three years in prison today by the Criminal Court’s Corruption and Misconduct Cases Division over the luxury wristwatch case involving Gen Prawit Wongsuwan.

They were found guilty of malfeasance in office for concealing facts about the luxury wristwatches of former deputy prime minister Gen Prawit.

Prawit’s wristwatch scandal dates back to 2017-18, when the Facebook page CSI-LA posted images of several expensive wristwatches, including a Richard Mille, a Patek Philippe and several Rolex watches, being worn in public by the former deputy prime minister.

None of the expensive wristwatches were included among the assets Prawit declared to the NACC in 2014. Instead, he claimed they had been borrowed from a close friend, the late Patthawat Sursriwong, and that he had returned all of them.

The case was brought before the Criminal Court’s Corruption and Misconduct Cases Division by activist Veera Somkwamkid, who accused 12 NACC members, including Watcharaphol, then NACC chairman, and Supa, of refusing to disclose the findings of the investigation into the wristwatch controversy as ordered by the Supreme Administrative Court.

During the pre-trial proceedings, Veera withdrew the charge against one of the 12 defendants because of his advanced age. The court, however, decided to proceed with the trials of four defendants and dropped the charges against the remaining defendants.

Only Watcharaphol and Supa were convicted. Both are now seeking bail pending appeal.