NLA urged to probe former police chief

By THE NATION

 

Pol General Somyot Pumpanmuang

 

A FORMER Democrat MP yesterday asked the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to probe a retired national police commissioner who recently admitted borrowing Bt300 million from a wanted brothel owner and doing police work as a sideline.

 

Wachara Phetthong submitted a petition to NLA president Pornphet Wichitchonlachai asking for an investigation into Pol General Somyot Pumpanmuang, an NLA member and also president of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) as to whether his past activities contravened the ethics standard required by the law.

 

Although the activities in question happened before Somyot became an NLA member, Wachara said certain procedures should be implemented. He said he would also file a similar request with the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s Anti-Money Laundering Office to check Somyot’s admission that he had borrowed the money from brothel tycoon Kampol Wirathepsuporn.

 

He also said that he and Kampol had been friends for long time and did some business together. 

Kampol is now wanted for running large-scale brothels in the guise of massage parlours and was suspected of being involved in at least 12 human-trafficking charges. Somyot claimed he had already paid back Kampol in several forms, such as land and cash.

 

Wachara said he wanted Somyot to be investigated for saying in a radio news programme that he had earned as much money from business operations during his tenure as the police commissioner and that being a police officer was just a sideline.

 

His honest admission raised widespread concern, coming as it did from a former police commissioner. Somyot was appointed to the powerful position in 2014 by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and retired the following year before being voted president of the FAT.

Nat Pasuk, secretary general of the Senate Office, said he had received the petition and would look into the matter.

 

Earlier, Department of Special Investigation’s chief Paisit Wongmuang said that officers investigating Kampol’s affairs were checking money trails and it would take time to know who would be summoned to give information in the case.

 

A DSI source said that the money trail part of the investigation was expected to finish by the middle of this month and Somyot would then be summoned to testify. So far, said the source, it was only known that the two men had once been business partners and friends over a long period of time.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30338446

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-10

Just one in a long line of multi-millionaire police chiefs who can't and wont have to explain their source of income. If you investigate these the generals might be next.

will he also been probed fo being unusually rich?

 

I mean - a policeman's salary  and 300 millions ..

5 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

will he also been probed fo being unusually rich?

 

I mean - a policeman's salary  and 300 millions ..

Not him alone. All police chiefs have an average of 250 million bahts. Surely not accumulated on their salary. 

This is the guy who the NCPO put in his position as chief of police shortly after the coup promising police reform among others.  At the time there are SET filings of him buying shares in property companies of up to 600 million THB, i am sure those SET statements are still readily available.

 

I am not sure whether this is really news as anyone with an ounce of common sense have known this guy was ........ as soon as he was chief of police.  Seems the only people without any common sense are the NCPO or the guy himself. 

 

Anyway, its all meaningless as nothing will happen to him. Surely appointing someone like this as Chief of police is far more damning and negligent than what Yingluck was removed from office for.

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

NLA urged to probe former police chief

 

On 2/9/2018 at 11:40 PM, smutcakes said:

This is the guy who the NCPO put in his position as chief of police shortly after the coup promising police reform among others.  At the time there are SET filings of him buying shares in property companies of up to 600 million THB, i am sure those SET statements are still readily available.

 

I am not sure whether this is really news as anyone with an ounce of common sense have known this guy was ........ as soon as he was chief of police.  Seems the only people without any common sense are the NCPO or the guy himself. 

 

Anyway, its all meaningless as nothing will happen to him. Surely appointing someone like this as Chief of police is far more damning and negligent than what Yingluck was removed from office for.

Facts clearly presented and reality of the results spelled out.....and no change coming soon despite promises made by government officials.