Sittra Biabungkerd: The rise and fall of Thailand’s ‘people’s lawyer’

Sittra Biabungkerd’s carefully crafted image as a “people’s lawyer” was shattered when he was arrested along with his wife amid allegations of money laundering and fraud on Friday.

Police said the pair were apprehended in Chachoengsao while trying to flee. The lawyer and his wife, Pathitta, claimed they were heading for a merit-making ceremony.

Sittra hit the headlines last week when a Thai EuroMillions winner living in France accused him of embezzling about 71 million baht.

Jatuporn “Madame Oy” Ubonlert claimed he had absconded with the 2 million euros (about 71 million baht) she had given him to set up an online lottery platform.

Shortly after Jatuporn made her complaint, others came forward with similar allegations against Sittra, saying they had remained silent out of fear his celebrity image would make their claims difficult to believe.

How he became famous

Born to a merchant family in Samut Sakhon, Sittra studied at Joseph Upatham School before moving to Nawaminthrachinuthit Satriwittaya Phutthamonthon School. He earned degrees in law and political science at Ramkhamhaeng University before starting his law career at the Thai Bar’s Legal Studies Office.

Sittra was regularly seen at merit-making events and poor communities, where he offered people free legal advice under the “Lawyers Meet People” project. He also joined forces with other lawyers to teach schoolchildren the basics of morality and law.

In 2016, he set up the “People’s Lawyer Team for Youth and Society Foundation”. The same year, he defended a couple against a police officer’s attempts to frame them for a crime.

Sittra began building a reputation as a champion of disadvantaged people facing legal trouble. His nationwide profile landed him over 2 million followers on Facebook alone.

He also became a familiar face on television and other media, earning a widespread audience whenever he spoke.

His charismatic character and public support saw him defeat a string of powerful opponents. Several senior police officers targeted by Sittra over alleged wrongdoing lost their posts – some temporarily and others permanently.

After 20 years of defending suspects against legal corruption, the list of Sittra’s exposés runs long. A highlight was his 2021 release of a video clip showing rising cop, Pol Colonel Thitisan Utthanaphon, suffocating a drug suspect to death with a plastic bag during interrogation.

Nicknamed Joe Ferrari for his lavish lifestyle, Thitisan was reportedly dating the Provincial Police Region 6 chief’s daughter. He was sentenced to life in jail after being found guilty of murder by torture.

A year later, Sittra dropped bombshells against two more powerful figures – then-Democrat Party deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi and veteran politician Seksakol “Rambo Isan” Atthawong.

Prinn was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old female student in 2021.

Meanwhile, Seksakol resigned as an aide to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha after Sittra released an audio clip in which he appeared to offer lottery ticket quotas in exchange for political campaign funds.

Last month, Sittra pressured the Palang Pracharath Party to dismiss its deputy spokesman Samart Janechaijittawanich over alleged links to iCon, an e-commerce business later exposed as a pyramid scheme.

How his downfall began

Sittra’s strong public reputation had shielded him against fallout from previous scandals.

In 2021, he raised eyebrows for choosing to defend Chaiphol “Uncle Phol” Wipha, who was accused of murdering his three-year-old niece, Orawan “Nong Chompoo” Wongsricha, in Mukdahan province.

The charismatic Chaiphol leveraged the limelight as prime suspect to become a social-media star. But his reputation was shattered when he was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in jail.

Also in 2021, Sittra was accused of producing false evidence to defend an actress facing drug charges. He denied the allegation.

Doubts were also raised over a 2017 case, in which Sittra represented a retired policeman in a dispute with a schoolteacher over lottery tickets that won a 30 million baht jackpot.

Sittra won the case, as well as the appeal that had been filed by the teacher.

Fading force

Sittra’s magnetic reputation as a fighter against injustice may finally have come unstuck. Jatuporn’s allegations appear convincing and were enhanced by evidence produced by media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul in his “Sondhi Talk” YouTube show.

Contributing to Sittra’s downfall is his estrangement from Pol General Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, a powerful and connected figure who was last year a contender for national police chief.

“We’re not that close,” Surachate declared, despite being defended by Sittra in the past.

Surachate is facing money-laundering charges, himself, and has been dismissed from the police force. Just last month his wife Sirinadda was accused of stealing 7.5 million baht in valuables from a condo.

Some observers say Sittra’s downfall was inevitable as soon as his perceived “big protector” fell from grace.