Somyot did not declare Bt300m loan: NACC

By THE NATION 

 

File photo : Pol General Somyot

 

Agency raises questions about claims made by ex-police chief of borrowings from fugitive victoria’s parlour owner

 

Former national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung did not include in his financial report loans of Bt300 million he claimed to have received from the fugitive owner of a massage parlour involved in a human trafficking case, according to the anti-graft agency.

 

The National AntiCorruption Commission (NACC) is investigating the suspected discrepancy.

 

Yesterday, the agency made public details of Somyot’s assets and liabiliฌties that he had submitted to the agency after becoming a member of the National Legislative Assembly in July 2014. Somyot left the NLA in March. His financial report did not mention the claimed loans and no evidence was found to prove that Somyot had actually borrowed from and had paid back to Kampol Weerathepsuporn, the fugitive owner of “Victoria’s: The Secret Forever” massage parlour, according to senior NACC officials. 

NACC President Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said yesterday that the agency would determine whether the financial report was accurate. If there was suspicion of inaccuracy, legal action could be taken, he added.

 

In February, amidst rumours of close ties between Kampol and an unnamed senior police officer, Somyot said that he had borrowed on a few occasions from the massage parlour owner and the loans totalled about Bt300 million. However, Somyot also said that he had paid back his debt owed to Kampol “through the banking system”.

 

Somyot served as commissioner general of the Royal Thai Police between October 2014 and September 2015. He is currently the president of the Football Association of Thailand. He was also required by law to submit a financial report to the NACC while serving as the national police chief. 

 

NACC SecretaryGeneral Warawit Sukboon yesterday declined to answer a question whether Somyot had borฌrowed the Bt300 million while servฌing as the police chief. “The amount was not mentioned in his financial report, so you the media have to think for yourself,” Warawit said.

 

He added that the NACC was invesฌtigating this matter. Somyot has handฌed his written explanation to the NACC and the agency is waiting for transacฌtion records it had requested from relฌevant banks, the official said.

 

According to Somyot’s financial report made public by the NACC yesterday, he has assets worth Bt262.8 million and his wife Pojaman Bt95.8 million after leaving office as an NLA member in March.

 

In August 2014, after assuming the post, Somyot said in his financial report that he had assets valued at Bt246.4 million and his wife Bt128.2 million.

 

Meanwhile, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is looking into the money trail involving Somyot’s alleged creditor Kampol, according to a senior Justice Ministry official.

 

The ministry’s deputy permanent secretary Tawatchai Thaikyo, in his capacity as its spokesman, said yesterฌday that in probing the human trafฌficking case linked to him, DSI susฌpected that Kampol might have transฌferred his allegedly illgotten assets to about 40 people. The DSI has invited those recipients, including Somyot, for questioning and sought information from financial institutions and releฌvant agencies such as the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Tawatchai said.

 

In January, DSI agents raided the massage parlour in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district and most of the masseuses there were found to be Myanmar nationals. Kampol and his wife are on the run after being named as suspects in the human trafficking case. More than Bt400 million of their assets have been confiscated in conฌnection with the case.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30345205

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-12

4 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Former national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung did not include in his financial report loans of Bt300 million he claimed to have received from the fugitive owner of a massage parlour involved in a human trafficking case, according to the anti-graft agency.

why do people generally believe that the police here have to follow thai laws ? they don't believe that

A copper with multi-millions, now that is a surprise, was his watch collection also vetted?

2 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is investigating the suspected discrepancy...

 

...If there was suspicion of inaccuracy, legal action could be taken, he added.

When I saw this story, my first thought was "Hooray!" as I thought that one of the thieving weasels was going to get their comeuppance and it was about time!

 

However, as I read the story and came to the section where the NACC was going to investigate, I realized that it was simply a waste of time. Will the NACC investigate? I am sure that they will go through the motions and form a committee; they might even find evidence (I am sure that there is evidence). Will it matter? No.

 

The NACC is a deeply flawed and discredited organization; whatever credibility it had was lost over the General Rolex matter.

 

Is Somyot guilty? Almost certainly. Does the investigation matter? Almost certainly not. The only thing that matters is whether he or his friends have an "in" with the NACC. If they do, he will be found 'not guilty' in some way, shape or form or alternatively found 'guilty' with no real, discernible punishment.

 

The NACC is a tainted organization. And because of its taint, it has no credibility. And because of its lack of credibility, there really can not be fair/legitimate/proper/etc. investigations into the upper echelons of Thai officialdom anymore (were there ever?)

 

When a society is unable to investigate its upper echelons with credibility, it is a clear sign of its rapid decline and moral degeneracy.

 

Its a sad thing to watch...

 

I find it amusing that these officials have to declare their wealth but not explain its source. So a career policeman can declare, with a straight face, that he has 260 million baht but never has to explain how that came about. Adding to the comedy is the fact that non-working wives can be holders of huge wealth without ever doing more than go shopping.

5 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

When I saw this story, my first thought was "Hooray!" as I thought that one of the thieving weasels was going to get their comeuppance and it was about time!

 

However, as I read the story and came to the section where the NACC was going to investigate, I realized that it was simply a waste of time. Will the NACC investigate? I am sure that they will go through the motions and form a committee; they might even find evidence (I am sure that there is evidence). Will it matter? No.

 

The NACC is a deeply flawed and discredited organization; whatever credibility it had was lost over the General Rolex matter.

 

Is Somyot guilty? Almost certainly. Does the investigation matter? Almost certainly not. The only thing that matters is whether he or his friends have an "in" with the NACC. If they do, he will be found 'not guilty' in some way, shape or form or alternatively found 'guilty' with no real, discernible punishment.

 

The NACC is a tainted organization. And because of its taint, it has no credibility. And because of its lack of credibility, there really can not be fair/legitimate/proper/etc. investigations into the upper echelons of Thai officialdom anymore (were there ever?)

 

When a society is unable to investigate its upper echelons with credibility, it is a clear sign of its rapid decline and moral degeneracy.

 

Its a sad thing to watch...

 

I thought that was very well written. 

9 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

When a society is unable to investigate its upper echelons with credibility, it is a clear sign of its rapid decline and moral degeneracy.

rapid?

it has been going on for a very long time

"Do you know who I am?"

Yes forgot the wallet can you sub me 300 million to get a round in wines through the roof .

Since when are bribes referred to as "loans"?  Oh yeah...  T.I.T.

_{Doesn't even warrant a smell test. Every aspect of this story stinks like an open sewer.}

weird thing is - that look in the photo to me says - anyone wanting to mess with me will end up missing

 

300 million loan lol 

 

we believe you 

Blatant wrong doings,money scattered all over the place trying to hide it.no reasons why he borrowed the money,no proof of where his wealth has come from.out right dishonesty in front of the whole nation but will walk free the same as mr Rolex the toad.a high ranking policeman borrowing money off a high ranking criminal,guilty by association.

Police steal money.

What new?

Same Same Same Same

The dirty money was borrowed so as to make more dirty money. Whatever the "story" is, we all know it's a crock of corrupted shxt. Only a fool could think otherwise.

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

“The amount was not mentioned in his financial report, so you the media have to think for yourself,” Warawit said.

 

Starting to sound like Big P.... Next he'll be answering every question with a question !!!

This is a tragic situation for the NACC. On the one hand Kampol has obviously pissed off some very influential person (otherwise there would be 10s if not hundreds of similar cases by now), so the NACC willingly investigated the case, but Somyot is linked to the Junta so they also need to cover him up. 

2 hours ago, Artisi said:

A copper with multi-millions, now that is a surprise, was his watch collection also vetted?

 

And, was the 300Million Baht a loan from the parlor king or was it a 'gift' from the parlor king?

 

Either way, ethically / morally totally inappropriate. If he is guilty of an offense, I really hope he goes to jail to make an example that the law applies equally to everybody.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Lungstib said:

I find it amusing that these officials have to declare their wealth but not explain its source. So a career policeman can declare, with a straight face, that he has 260 million baht but never has to explain how that came about. Adding to the comedy is the fact that non-working wives can be holders of huge wealth without ever doing more than go shopping.

And don't forget the gardeners, pool boys, cooks, drivers and maids who sometimes turn out to be even wealthier than their employers - often without knowing it.

Was the B300k a personal loan...a gift... or what we all possibly believe, the payment for ignoring this businesses activities as per usual police protocol .

 

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Its a sad thing to watch...

I look at the Malaysia election for hope that the tainted NACC will be taken to task. Their MACC (Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission) is Najib government tool who overlooked previous government minister and their cronies corruptions. Witnesses die mysteriously like falling from the 14th floor of the MACC building. For so long, the citizens have cried out loud and suffered the frustration of seeing blatant corruptions not given the proper justice. 

 

Now that the corrupt Najib government has been beaten comprehensively, the new government policy is a clean up of the MACC and the AG office. A commission will be set up to investigate all past corruption cases and bring those individuals to face and answer to the judiciary process. They have the people behind their purge of the previous anti corruption setup. The people had enough of double standards. 

 

I hope the next government will be elected and will do the decent thing like the Malaysian to take those corrupt military and policemen to task and behind bars. 

6 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Now that the corrupt Najib government has been beaten comprehensively, the new government policy is a clean up of the MACC and the AG office. A commission will be set up to investigate all past corruption cases and bring those individuals to face and answer to the judiciary process.

Aren't you jumping the gun?

 

The government was elected the other day, and everything you quote are nothing more than promises so far.

 

Promises that are made by any opposition party anywhere in the world.

 

Let's see about a year from now

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

 

And, was the 300Million Baht a loan from the parlor king or was it a 'gift' from the parlor king?

 

Either way, ethically / morally totally inappropriate. If he is guilty of an offense, I really hope he goes to jail to make an example that the law applies equally to everybody.

 

 

 

300m fills a lot of brown paper bags and lunch boxes. 

1 hour ago, Misterwhisper said:

And don't forget the gardeners, pool boys, cooks, drivers and maids who sometimes turn out to be even wealthier than their employers - often without knowing it.

That comment is worth about 10 smilies. 

11 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

Aren't you jumping the gun?

 

The government was elected the other day, and everything you quote are nothing more than promises so far.

 

Promises that are made by any opposition party anywhere in the world.

 

Let's see about a year from now

True. Proof is in the pudding. Their manifesto spelt that out clearly and they will be judge and watch by the millions who brought them into office. If they failed their manifesto, the people will turn on them. There are lots of pent up anger of the Najib corruption and the MACC and the new government has to deliver those promises to the people.  I am optimistic of their promises and has high hope. 

Thailand, the land of unexplained borrowing of things and cash.

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

no evidence was found to prove that Somyot had actually borrowed from

 

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

declined to answer a question whether Somyot had borฌrowed the Bt300 million while servฌing as the police chief.

They're basically just setting it up so that in a few days Somyot will come out and say he never borrowed any money from Kampol and when he previously said he did, he actually just misspoke our was misunderstood.  In fact, he never even knew Kampol...

So he will get a cabinet position and a pat on the back with little p. Big cheese elite don’t get slapped. 

6 hours ago, Lungstib said:

I find it amusing that these officials have to declare their wealth but not explain its source. So a career policeman can declare, with a straight face, that he has 260 million baht but never has to explain how that came about. Adding to the comedy is the fact that non-working wives can be holders of huge wealth without ever doing more than go shopping.

Taksin was the master of this game

His maids, gardeners, drivers and low level staff were all very very wealthy people.... :) 

This was the police chief who ran the show in the Koh Tao murders. Staged  a media presentation of taking DNA sample from headman's son.  260 million baht from an undeclared source  - hmm, I wonder.