Premchai sentenced to 16 months without suspension

 

 

Billionaire construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta was this morning (Tuesday) sentenced to 16 months in prison without suspension by the Thong Phaphume provincial court in Thailand’s western province of Kanchanburi.

The president of Italian-Thai Development Corp, one of Thailand’s largest construction firms, was found guilty of carrying firearms in a public place without a permit, abetting others in the illegal hunting of protected wildlife species and possession of protected animal carcasses.

Premchai and three others, namely Mr. Yong Dodkrua, Mr. Thanee Thummat and Mrs. Nathee Riamsaen, were arrested by forest ra

ngers in Thungyai Narusuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province on February 4th last year after carcasses of a panther, a barking deer and a wild fowl were found in their camp. Hunting rifles were also found.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/premchai-sentenced-to-16-months-without-suspension/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-03-19

Better than nothing but way to light of a sentence.

Surely he will be on a flight out the country within hours and then unable to return due to illness. 

Come on guy's, its not like he was doing anything too bad such as picking mushrooms or feeding fish.

10 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Surely he will be on a flight out the country within hours and then unable to return due to illness. 

 

Why? He'll be out on bail before you can blink, and then will proceed to appeal the case until the cows come home (or the judges and everyone else involved dies, etc etc.)

 

He could of course do a runner. But that would probably spell the end for his position at his conglomerate. While out on bail and appeal, he'll probably continue pretty much as normal.

 

Although, it will be kind of interesting what if anything his company does in the wake of this. Is he the actual majority owner of the company, or is he a hired executive?

 

14 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Surely he will be on a flight out the country within hours and then unable to return due to illness. 

Why would he? Nothing's going to happen to him.

2 minutes ago, SkyNets said:

Come on guy's, its not like he was doing anything too bad such as picking mushrooms or feeding fish.

Your right it could have been much, much, worse.

if he had been caught smoking on the beach.

I'm flabbergasted he has been actually sentenced to an active term.  Let's see how this plays out.

"Premchai’s lawyer is preparing to seek bail for Premchai, with the bail being set at 600,000 baht"

 

Any takers he'll be refused bail?

Bail and multiple appeals will keep him free for the foreseeable future. Thailand justice; wealth means everything.

5 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

"Premchai’s lawyer is preparing to seek bail for Premchai, with the bail being set at 600,000 baht"

 

Any takers he'll be refused bail?

They might this time...

 

They know (the upper echelons) that they stink to high heaven even for these SE Asian states full of raskols..

29 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Surely he will be on a flight out the country within hours and then unable to return due to illness. 

quote from the Thai PBS article

 

The court also ordered Prem and three other defendants to pay about two million baht in compensation to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Thungyai Narusuan Wildlife Sanctuary chief Wichien Chinnawong said, after the court’s verdict was read, that he was satisfied with the sentence, adding that justice has been served. He also praised the judges for doing a great job and said that the verdict shows that the rich and powerful are not beyond the reach of the law.
Premchai’s lawyer is preparing to seek bail for Premchai, with the bail being set at 600,000 baht.
The Italian-Thai boss is yet to make a public statement following the verdict.

 

No mention of taking any or all of his passports away to stop him flying away.

25 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Why? He'll be out on bail before you can blink, and then will proceed to appeal the case until the cows come home (or the judges and everyone else involved dies, etc etc.)

 

He could of course do a runner. But that would probably spell the end for his position at his conglomerate. While out on bail and appeal, he'll probably continue pretty much as normal.

"He'll be out on bail before you can blink..."

Why should he not be allowed to request bail if he intends to appeal?  That is a common concept worldwide, not just in Thailand, when a case is being appealed.  Would you deny him the same basic right that everyone else who is granted bail is allowed? 

 

"While out on bail and appeal, he'll probably continue pretty much as normal".

Why not, that's one of the concepts of bail, isn't it? 

Edited March 19, 20197 yr by Just Weird

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

Premchai sentenced to 16 months without suspension

5 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

"While out on bail and appeal, he'll probably continue pretty much as normal".

Why not, that's one of the concepts of bail. 

 

Agreed.... except that I guess he's out of the running for this year's Thailand chapter World Wildlife Foundation Man of the Year Award!!!   

12 minutes ago, billd766 said:

No mention of taking any or all of his passports away to stop him flying away.

 

Seemingly, they rarely do that with Thais here, even in the most serious cases.

 

The man's an international business tycoon.  He's got international business to do. 

27 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

"Premchai’s lawyer is preparing to seek bail for Premchai, with the bail being set at 600,000 baht"

 

Any takers he'll be refused bail?

I'd doubt that there would be any takers but, of course, why should it be denied, it's not exactly that much of a serious case, is it?

25 minutes ago, asiaexpat said:

Bail and multiple appeals will keep him free for the foreseeable future. Thailand justice; wealth means everything.

Multiple appeals?  He can only appeal once to the appellate court and once to the Supreme Court, that's two, hardly what is normally understood to be "multiple".

56 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Surely he will be on a flight out the country within hours and then unable to return due to illness. 

Surely his passport has been suspended?

 

Immigration watch put out for him

What happened to the others also charged??

20 minutes ago, billd766 said:

No mention of taking any or all of his passports away to stop him flying away.

He is not considered to be a serious flight risk as he has been allowed to travel out of the country during the time that his first case was being heard and he returned.  He also returned to the court for the verdict today that his lawyers probably warned him to expect.

20 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

"He'll be out on bail before you can blink..."

Why should he not be allowed to request bail if he intends to appeal?  That is a common concept worldwide, not just in Thailand, when a case is being appealed.  Would you deny him the same basic right that everyone else who is granted bail is allowed? 

 

"While out on bail and appeal, he'll probably continue pretty much as normal".

Why not, that's one of the concepts of bail, isn't it? 

Deends on the charge in Oz and the risk of flight, but most times have to surrender passport to bail authority

40 minutes ago, Bobobirdiebuddy said:

I'm flabbergasted he has been actually sentenced to an active term.  Let's see how this plays out.

 

Very un-Thai of the court for such a poo yai type guy....   For here, that in and of itself is pretty interesting.

 

All I can say is, the way this seems to be playing out, that campfire dish of black leopard and deer parts that the guys cooked up is going to end up being a pretty darned expensive meal, by the time all is said and done.... 

Premchai verdict and prison sentence comes just 5 days before the election

By The Thaiger

 

 

Premchai Karnasutra, once listed among Thailand’s richest people, has been found guilty in a Kanchanaburi court of poaching protected animals, and sentenced to 16 months in jail.

 

Wildlife rangers arrested the 64 year old tycoon along with four other associates in the Thungyai Naresuan nature reserve, a world heritage site in Kanchanaburi in February last year.

 

The incident has caused public outrage in Thailand over the past year since the story came to life. Social media has been running strong with people expressing their scepticism that the country’s justice system would bring the 64 year old to justice, claiming the system often allows the rich and powerful to walk free.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/premchai-verdict-and-prison-sentence-comes-just-5-days-before-the-election

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2019-03-19

11 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

He is not considered to be a serious flight risk as he has been allowed to travel out of the country during the time that his first case was being heard and he returned. 

Right, same as Yingluck.

Hats off to social media, various news outlets and university students that did not allow this hideous crime to be forgotten. This is an example of democracy working ( and normal citizens of Thailand caring about their environment and most of all JUSTICE. 

( Hopefully Khun Premchai  will lose a few kilos while in the monkey house.) 

—And please Mr. Premchai, no “wai’s” or becoming a monk for a few weeks. How about showing some remorse by giving some of your millions$$$ to Thailand’s WWF???

How many years did the poor old farmer got for picking mushroom? Travesty of justice for the wealthy and connected. 

come on who is really shocked?

 

22 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

I'd doubt that there would be any takers but, of course, why should it be denied, it's not exactly that much of a serious case, is it?

Get your excuses in early, Just Weird. 

55 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

Your right it could have been much, much, worse.

if he had been caught smoking on the beach.

Or beating a dog...

 

1 minute ago, Eric Loh said:

How many years did the poor old farmer got for picking mushroom? Travesty of justice for the wealthy and connected. 

Eric, the farmer was never convicted for picking mushrooms but for illegal logging. The farmer said he was picking mushrooms but his motorcycle was found near the illegal logging site. The charge was illegal logging NOT picking mushrooms. That is what the farmer said. 

 

Latest what i know of the case is that they are now giving the farmer a huge fine unless he gives up his boss for who he logged. 

 

So he was never convicted for picking mushrooms but for illegal logging his excuse for being at the place of the illegal logging was that he was picking mushrooms and the judge did not believe that.