Police in Thailand have summonsed deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn to face a money-laundering charge in connection with alleged online gambling.
Police in Bangkok placed the notice from Metropolitan Police Division 2 at the residence of Pol Gen Surachate, aka Big Joke, in the city’s Laksi district on Sunday morning. According to the notice, Pol Gen Surachate was required to acknowledge the charge at the division on Thursday.
Initially, police were stopped from entering the guarded residential area by security guards who demanded to see the relevant paperwork. Officers finally gained access after warning the guards they could be charged with obstruction. A police source said that national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol was informed of the notice and agreed with the legal action.
Pol Gen Surachate told reporters later that he was not home and he would have to check the details of the notice and find out if the investigation into his case was conducted correctly. If not, he said, the notice would be considered as illegitimate. Pol Gen Surachate said his lawyers would hold a press conference on the matter on Tuesday.
Last week the deputy national police chief denied he was involved with any online gambling network, pointing out that a court had refused to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Pol Gen Surachate’s lawyer, Nathawit Netijarurote, last Tuesday said there were attempts to discredit his client because he was now the most senior candidate for the national police chief’s job. Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, the present national police chief, is due to retire at the end of September this year.
