Top court sentences Santika pub owner linked to New Year’s fire for tax evasion

By KESINEE TAENGKHIAO 
THE NATION

 

Wisuk“Sia Khao” Setsawat

 

WISUK “SIA KHAO” Setsawat, owner of Bangkok’s Santika pub, which is notorious for the 2008 New Year’s Eve inferno that killed 67 people and injured another 103, faces another seven-month prison term, which will not be suspended, for a charge of evading alcohol taxes.

 

The Supreme Court verdict read at the Ratchadapisek Criminal Court yesterday morning found 50-year-old Wisuk guilty of failing to submit tax documents and evading more than Bt85 million in alcohol taxes due to the Excise Department from November 2003 to December 2008. 

 

The ruling stated that Wisuk was responsible for the taxes as the pub’s owner, even though White and Brothers (2003) Co had removed him as the operator, because he was still involved in its financial matters, including making deposits and payroll.

 

After the verdict was read, Wisuk was escorted by corrections officials to Bangkok Remand Prison where he will serve his sentence. The ruling cannot be appealed.

 

A lower court ruled in April 2014 that Wisuk was guilty of tax evasion and sentenced him to 12 months in prison, but the Appeals Court acquitted him in 2015 on the grounds that he was not the operator of Santika Pub or a partner with White and Brothers (2003), so he was not responsible for the taxes. The prosecutor appealed to the Supreme Court. 

 

Besides the seven-month jail term for tax evasion, Wisuk has already served three years in prison for negligence leading to the 67 deaths after a Supreme Court ruling in November 2015. 

 

The accident took place on the late night of December 31, 2008, at the Santika Pub on Ekkamai Road when the fireworks sparked the fire. Many people were unable to escape the inferno because the venue did not have enough fire exits. Survivors said the pub had no extinguishers and most of the victims’ bodies were found piled up at the doors and windows. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30340938

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-15

This guy should be serving 20-50 years in prison.

 

There is no excuse.

 

Prayuth is letting the country down, shame on him. He can do whatever he wants under his article 44 yet so far he chooses not to. Maybe he will intervene, he is the absolute ruler here right now and he can act if he wants to.

 

Why not ?

Edited March 14, 20188 yr by ukrules

From all the dead victims most had been robbed from  their valuable belongings.

 

Did they ever find out who did that? Did he/she get punished for it?

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Setsawat, owner of Bangkok’s Santika pub, which is notorious for the 2008 New Year’s Eve inferno that killed 67 people and injured another 103, faces another seven-month prison term

I am sure that is a big comfort for all the grieving realatives.

Again another court ruling proving that money is more important the human life.

Moral of the story: Be a member of the moneyed elite and willfully evade 85 million Baht in excise taxes and you can expect your court case to drag on for 10 years while you eventually will be sentenced to a mere  SEVEN MONTHS imprisonment (I'm actually surprised the sentence wasn't suspended!). But be a dirt poor farmer couple and go pick wild mushrooms in a forest reserve and you'll almost immediately land behind the slammer for FIFTEEN YEARS.

 

Ah, Thai justice. Soooo selective.