GT200 supplier gets another nine years in jail

By The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

Avia Satcom Co Ltd and its top executive, Suttiwat Wattanakij, were found guilty of fraud in Don Mueang Kwaeng Court on Wednesday for supplying the Justice Ministry’s Central Institute of Forensic Science with GT200 devices that it falsely claimed could detect hidden bombs and narcotics.
 

The Bt6.8 million deal was one of several GT200 sales involving a slew of state agencies and various distributors.

 

The armed forces insisted on the device’s efficacy even after it was proven in overseas tests to be useless in detecting anything.

 

Suttiwat was found guilty in a separate case last month involving the Royal Aide-de-Camp Department and sentenced to nine years in prison. The department had bought Bt9 million worth of GT200s and related supplies in 2010.

 

He and three other defendants in the latest case denied wrongdoing, but the judge found Suttiwat guilty and handed him another nine years in jail while ordering the firm to pay a Bt18,000 fine.

 

Two other defendants, both employees of Avia Satcom, were acquitted.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30356172

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-10

15 minutes ago, webfact said:

The armed forces insisted on the device’s efficacy even after it was proven in overseas tests to be useless in detecting anything.

good thing they are in charge now.

Suttiwat will not spend much time in the cell. He know too much and have to be silence or he may spill the beans on military corruption in the procurement. 

59 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Suttiwat will not spend much time in the cell. He know too much and have to be silence or he may spill the beans on military corruption in the procurement. 

No worries, a sock tighten to the door handle will take care of that.

GT200 bomb detector company charged with selling fake products

 

 

BANGKOK, 10th October 2018 (NNT) - Don Mueng Kwaeng Court has sentenced an exectuive of Avia Satcom Co. Ltd, to nine years in prison for selling sub-standard GT200 remote substance detectors to the Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS). 

Three members of Avia Satom Co. Ltd, including Mr. Suthiwat Wattanakit , Mrs. Sasakorn Pluemjai and Ms. Panthaweesap Sudyajai were accused of selling remote metal detectors worth 6.8 million baht that failed to work to CIFS. 

Don Mueng Kwaeng Court however, dropped all charges against Mrs. Sasakorn Pluemjai and Ms. Panthaweesap Sudyajai due to insufficient evidence to indicate that they were conspiring with Mr. Suthiwat . The court has ordered Mr. Suthiwat , a company executive, to pay a fine of 10,000 baht and return 6.8 million baht to CIFS. He will also be imprisoned for nine years. 

His lawyer, Mr. Wora-att Soonthornaphichart , claimed his client was merely a salesperson not a manufacturer of the products. Mr. Suthiwat was just selling the remote metal detectors as there had been no reports of any malfunction when they were previously sold to military units. Mr. Suthiwat was granted bail of 700,000 baht.

 

-- nnt

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The armed forces insisted on the device’s efficacy even after it was proven in overseas tests to be useless in detecting anything.

good thing they are in charge now. 

In fact I suppose it's a good thing the person in charge of the project for the army, when told they were useless, said that as long as the operator felt happy using it, that was the important thing.

Lucky too, that guy is now the prime minister.

 

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

good thing they are in charge now.

 

19 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

In fact I suppose it's a good thing the person in charge of the project for the army, when told they were useless, said that as long as the operator felt happy using it, that was the important thing.

Lucky too, that guy is now the prime minister.

 

The lunatics in charge of the asylum

3 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Suttiwat will not spend much time in the cell. He know too much and have to be silence or he may spill the beans on military corruption in the procurement. 

Ohh really, so please share the 'knows too much' details, sounds enthralling or just your normal convenient wind up?

 

 

Looks like he is the fall guy,many more sold,so he

can expect to do more time,while the buyers,well

no problem for them,as I am sure they were all bought

in good faith ????,nod,nod,wink ,wink.

regards Wrgerde

3 hours ago, webfact said:

GT200 supplier gets another nine years in jail

One could have assumed, he may have detected this before...

But they worked didn't they? I remember how proud they all were with their new toys back on the TV a few years back. What a bunch of lemons.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

while ordering the firm to pay a Bt18,000 fine.

The guy gets 18 years in jail, and the firm gets fined Bht 18,000. Are there not a few zeros missing off the fine?

Basically this only goes to show that you certainly don't need brains these days to be Prime Minister of Thailand, even an unelected one.

Perhaps they should also lock up those who purchased the aircraft carrier? ????

6 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

Perhaps they should also lock up those who purchased the aircraft carrier? ????

...but forgot to buy any aircraft for it.

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

GT200 bomb detector company charged with selling fake products

 

....

 

Fakes.... in Thailand who would believe it..! 

 

But I'm sure these were genuine GT-200's...

What has come out of the National Anti-Corruption Commission in the GT200 scandal?

Nothing.

Mr Surasak Srivichien, a member of the NACC, admitted the case is particularly complicated because the value of the controversial bomb-detectors cannot be measured in financial term alone.  “It’s sometimes a matter of faith as well. Like faith that some people have in amulets,” he said.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/faith-plays-a-part-in-determining-if-gt200-bomb-detectors-are-worth-the-money/

Faith can be priceless.

7 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

What has come out of the National Anti-Corruption Commission in the GT200 scandal?

Nothing.

Mr Surasak Srivichien, a member of the NACC, admitted the case is particularly complicated because the value of the controversial bomb-detectors cannot be measured in financial term alone.  “It’s sometimes a matter of faith as well. Like faith that some people have in amulets,” he said.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/faith-plays-a-part-in-determining-if-gt200-bomb-detectors-are-worth-the-money/

Faith can be priceless.

Oddly enough I don't have much faith in the NACC reaching a sensible conclusion.

 

5 hours ago, bluesofa said:

In fact I suppose it's a good thing the person in charge of the project for the army, when told they were useless, said that as long as the operator felt happy using it, that was the important thing.

Lucky too, that guy is now the prime minister.

 

Didn't the British Army buy them, too, for use in Iraq? Or was it the Americans? I remember it was not just the Thais. Several Armies and security services around the world swore they were effective.

How unbelievable it is, that in the so called 'newly industrialized country' that there are folks high up in government who believe in diving sticks.

 

Somehow, somewhere, at the highest level, the decision makers are deciding the future of LOS based on witch craft, wizardry and hocus-pocus and other still in the Dark Age’s pseudo-science. ????

 

4 hours ago, sanemax said:

Looking at the state of that place, he is a bit late to be looking for explosives!

4 minutes ago, SteveB2 said:

How unbelievable it is, that in the so called 'newly industrialized country' that there are folks high up in government who believe in diving sticks.

 

Somehow, somewhere, at the highest level, the decision makers are deciding the future of LOS based on witch craft, wizardry and hocus-pocus and other still in the Dark Age’s pseudo-science. 

More likely that the supplier gave them "personal commison" to buy them 

1 hour ago, Acharn said:

Didn't the British Army buy them, too, for use in Iraq? Or was it the Americans? I remember it was not just the Thais. Several Armies and security services around the world swore they were effective.

Answer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GT200#Kenya

 

Maybe if the bomb detectors are no good the they may want some full body bombproof suits... 

 

 

9 years in jail or a ???thb fine?

14 hours ago, steve73 said:

 

Fakes.... in Thailand who would believe it..! 

 

But I'm sure these were genuine GT-200's...

Genuine fakes. 

Divining is a proven fact. Some people can detect buried objects such as running water and solid objects using divining rods so, the GT 200 probably did 'point' when used by some individuals.

 

What it could not do was detect many of the other objects and substances claimed my the manufacturer and the 'plug-in' cards and 'electronics' were completely bogus.

 

Thus a pair of bent rods pivoting in sawn off broom handles and costing 50 cents would achieve as much.

On 10/10/2018 at 6:02 PM, lvr181 said:

Perhaps they should also lock up those who purchased the aircraft carrier? ????

Or the guy who was meant to buy the planes for it.  About time that went to "The Beach," took on some water and assisted in coral re-establishment.