News anchor Sorrayuth sent to jail for embezzlement

 

 

The Supreme Court this morning sent Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda, once one of Thailand’s best known and highest-paid news anchors, to 8 years in jail for embezzlement.

 

The 53-year-old veteran journalist was immediately escorted out of the courtroom to begin serving his sentence.

 

The court found Sorrayuth guilty of embezzling more than 138 million baht in advertising revenue of the Mass Communication Organization of Thailand or MCOT.  The embezzlement took place while he hosted a news programme on Channel 9, a media outlet of MCOT, between 2005 and 2006.

 

The Criminal Court in 2016 sentenced him and one of his employees, Ms. Montha Thiradej, to 13 years and four months in prison. An employee of MCOT, Ms. Pitchapa Iamsa-ard, who as a state official was a principal defendant in the case, was given a 20-year jail term for collusion in the embezzlement.  The Court of Appeals upheld their sentences.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/news-anchor-sorrayuth-sent-to-jail-for-embezzlement/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2020-01-21

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

This guy will wriggle free. They all do. Just watch.

Shocking.....a hi-so and all....actually spending a night in the slammer? What is going wrong.....he must've criticized Prayut or something.

 

Why so glum, Mr. Sorrayuth? I bet you displayed a much happier face while you were pocketing 138 million baht of embezzled money, didn't you? I am sorry, but somehow I have absolutely no empathy for you. You and your insatiably greedy ilk are among the main reasons why this country seems to have trouble moving forward.  

 I think he was red shirt could explain prison time

If I remember right, he had his own media company that produced his TV show, and it aired on Channel 9... And the case revolved around issues about who was entitled to the advertising revenue, and what share of it, that aired during his show.

 

27 minutes ago, JRG23 said:

This guy will wriggle free. They all do. Just watch.

Nope, not this time.  He has been through all the appeals courts and this was the Supreme court and he's straight to jail with no further recourse.    He's gone.

15 minutes ago, norbra said:

 I think he was red shirt could explain prison time

Ah!

Edited January 21, 20206 yr by nausea

Top court sentences Sorayuth to six years and 24 months in jail

By THE NATION

 

 

Popular former TV show host Sorayuth Suthassanachinda and his former employee Montha Theeradet were on Tuesday (January 21) sentenced to six years and 24 months in jail for embezzlement of funds.

 

The Supreme Court issued its ruling on the lawsuit filed by the Office of the Attorney-General against Sorayuth, managing director of Raisom Co Ltd, Montha, an employee of Raisom, and Pitchapha Iamsa-ad, a former employee of MCOT Pcl, for embezzling advertisement fees from MCOT estimated at over Bt138 million during 2005-2006 when Sorayuth hosted a popular morning news show.

 

The Supreme Court sentenced Sorayuth and Montha to "six years and 24 months" of jail time with no suspension, reducing from 13 years and four months given by the Appeal Court on August 29, 2017. Pitchapha’s sentence was also reduced from 20 years to 12 years with no suspension. Raisom Co Ltd was also ordered to pay a fine of Bt80,000.

 

According to the court’s ruling, read by the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, Sorayuth and Montha were found guilty of paying a total of Bt685,996 to Pitchapa during February 2005 to April 2006 to conceal the records of advertising airtime used by Raisom Co Ltd, which had a contract with MCOT to co-produce the “Kui Kui Khao” news programme hosted by Sorayuth.

 

Raisom was allocated advertising slots of between two and five minutes during the news programme. If its advertisements exceeded the time slots, Raisom was supposed to pay MCOT at least Bt200,000 per minute. Pitchapa, who was responsible for recording commercial time at MCOT, managed to conceal the recording of Raisom’s additional advertising time between February 4, 2005 and June 30, 2006, amounting to Bt138.79 million.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30380871

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-01-21

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

2 hours ago, JRG23 said:

This guy will wriggle free. They all do. Just watch.

He's been wriggling for years, this time he's done!

If this was "theft as a servant" I have no sympthay for him.

One of the worst crimes & obviously the Judge thinks so too

Big sentences just imagine what any generals could be one fine day???? 

Embezzlement is a national sport, so no surprise.

The probability of embezzlement increases in proportion to wealth, status and connections.

 

Me thinks he probably ended up rubbing some very powerful people in the wrong way.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Top court sentences Sorayuth to six years and 24 months in jail

That would be eight years.

20 minutes ago, varun said:

Me thinks he probably ended up rubbing some very powerful people in the wrong way.

Considering his political persuasion and MCOT being a state enterprise, believe you are correct.

A real celebrity who has used up his last chance. 

 

Rooster

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

Big sentences just imagine what any generals could be one fine day???? 

Well, as generals, they would actually deserve a firing squad. It's their good right as honorable military men... and I hope they'll insist on it. Hope runs eternal, of course.

3 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Nope, not this time.  He has been through all the appeals courts and this was the Supreme court and he's straight to jail with no further recourse.    He's gone.

maybe.... but Prayut has the last word and if he's a member of the gang he will walk free