Picture: Daily News

 

The case against the former chief of the Nakhon Sawan police Pol Col Thitisan Utthanaphon or Joe Ferrari is building as more details slowly emerge about the wealthy policemen at the center of charges of killing a drug suspect in custody.

 

Now it looks like the pan who had a salary or 43,400 baht has 600 million baht in the bank, property and cars.

 

Twenty four year old Jirapong or Mawin Thanaphat died after having many layers of plastic bags wrapped round his head. It was all caught on CCTV leaked online. 

 

Thitisan and six other police underlings are in prison in Bangkok as the investigation continues. Much of it centers on the wealth of "Chief Joe" as Daily News referred to him.

 

Yesterday the deputy commander of the RTP General Suchart Theerasawat - known as Big Mai - appeared with a whole team of top brass at a press conference. 

 

Those present included immigration chief Pol Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang, notes ASEAN NOW, who Suchart said was in charge of examining the money trail connected to Joe. 

 

Sompong was recently named as a new assistant commissioner of the RTP though several embarrassing cases of corruption in the Immigration Bureau have emerged since that announcement.

 

Daily News said their sources suggest that Joe has a staggering 600 million baht in assets.

 

Much of this comes from rewards from the sale of 410 luxury vehicles that were seized as part of drugs cases and auctioned by the customs department. 

 

Five vehicles at one of Joe's houses were found to be part of the seized vehicles, others were deemed to be legally owned. 

 

Now it appears that Joe allegedly paid 5 million baht to the father of the plastic bag suffocation victim. Both the father and wife of Mawin said it was not drug money. 

 

The Anti-Money Laundering Office or AMLO is investigating this angle. 

 

So far the case against Joe is 80% complete and the court will decide his guilt or otherwise, suggested Suchart.

 

There are also an alleged three or four other cases of extortionof drug suspects being investigated against Joe. Several mugshots were in the story pictured next to a "wai-ing" Joe without explanation.

 

Suchart said that claims made that Joe was bipolar are unfounded. He's mentally sound said the assistant chief of the RTP.

 

It is unclear as yet what charges the six other officers in the case will face when the investigation is complete. They are being held for killing the suspect as well as Joe. 

 

Charges of aiding and abetting Joe that emanated from Chonburi are not likely to be followed through.

 

The Crime Suppression Division who have been tasked with investigating the case are due to hand over their initial findings to the Nation Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) today because the man at the center of the case is a civil servant. They will take 30 days to consider the evidence. 

 

The case has caused a huge public furor in Thailand despite the Thai people being very familiar with what they see as their corrupt police force, notes ASEAN NOW.  

 

The death of the suspect in custody has given the case an edge that many feel might result in a cover-up proving impossible.

 

However, some cases in the past where evidence against the RTP was overwhelming resulted in clearly guilty parties walking free. 

 

Whether Joe - and/or his underlings - are hung out to dry in this case remains to be seen. 

 

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Presumably they will start investigating every other police chief ????

This case gets stranger and stranger every day...

 

But as long as "rewards" in such staggering amounts are handed over in Thailand, the chance of getting wrongfully arrested, processed and convicted by the BIB are pretty high, and the incentive to "help" your suspect to plead guilty by all means necessary is just to high for all involved. 

And of course, corruption is the brother (or sister?) of those "rewards". Knowing how much money the cop can make will of course just make me offering him 20% more for looking away...

This corrupt regime never counted on interwebs or social media leveling the playing field. Nothing will change quickly but a least the poors will now know what was only whispered by a few before this.

In the words of funny guy Mel Brooks In History of the world part 1: it's good to be the chief...

And let's not forget : Don't get saucy with me Bearnaise...

600 Million THB in assets , salary 43,000 THB month ,I think

the tax man needs to have a close look at him too.

regards Worgeordie

To think, I wasted  6 years getting a Chemistry and Chemical Engineering degree...and still just a normal middle class worker bee....slave to the system.....if only I knew of the great opportunities out there...as a policeman.....55555

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

Whether Joe - and/or his underlings - are hung out to dry in this case remains to be seen. 

If his assets are frozen then I'm guessing he will have no way to "buy" his freedom.

Thats only assets any cash lying around?

Cops get like 30-50% commission on every bust they make and he seized something like 600 luxury cars so its possible

same with tickets that's why they do it but its crazy they get so much commission.

30 minutes ago, webfact said:

So far the case against Joe is 80% complete and the court will decide his guilt or otherwise, suggested Suchart.

Will he wriggle out of the charges , or get slap on the wrist,

I suppose that will depend if he has anything on those Police

higher up than him. I would be nice to see justice actually

work, no disputing a man was killed....

regards Worgeordie

 

Even if  his assets arent seized and confiscated,,, by the time he hands out  very large brown envelopes  to every one, ,, to  ensure his innocence,,he shouldnt have much left for himself, hopefully...   

Surely there has to be some misunderstanding. I mean, how could a Thai person with such a lovely, polite Wai do such a thing? ????

 

Here's my prediction. Seeing as this has hit social media there will be lots of talk of police reform. Joe Ferrari will have to do a (very short) stretch in a very luxurious wing of the prison. Meanwhile, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, prison directors etc. all end up with extraordinarily wealthy gardeners and Joe Ferrari comes out of prison a lot poorer than he went in, but still a very wealthy man (more of a Joe BMW).

He has to be a total psychopath .

 

All that wealth and

 

a. He is still working

b. Still greedy and wanting more

c. He is has given it all away, potentially, due to the pointless death of a minor drug dealer.

27 minutes ago, Saratoga Slim Anon said:

This corrupt regime never counted on interwebs or social media leveling the playing field. Nothing will change quickly but a least the poors will now know what was only whispered by a few before this.

The poor couldn't care less. The corruption continues among the superiors in the forces here, army pays police and government, coup -  police pays army and government, etc. 

600 Million relates to around £13.3 Million.....

 

Plenty there for some superb bungs one would imagine ????

Can see him in St Tropez viewing the goodies in very short order.....

1 minute ago, Will B Good said:

He has to be a total psychopath .

 

All that wealth and

 

a. He is still working

b. Still greedy and wanting more

c. He is has given it all away, potentially, due to the pointless death of a minor drug dealer.

Think of police chiefs as Godfathers and you'll get a better picture. 

whilst not condoning violence, it is understandable why the young are kicking against the system at Din Daeng every night. They see this and yet are forever being told to toe the line and be a "good" citizen.

Bring in the Chinese to sort out this corruption!  There would be dozens of police convicted and executed on the same day!  The Thai authorities are simply too soft (presumably because they all have their greedy fingers in the pie...)

2 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Bring in the Chinese to sort out this corruption!  There would be dozens of police convicted and executed on the same day!  The Thai authorities are simply too soft (presumably because they all have their greedy fingers in the pie...)

Actually, yes. 

2 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Bring in the Chinese to sort out this corruption!  There would be dozens of police convicted and executed on the same day!  The Thai authorities are simply too soft (presumably because they all have their greedy fingers in the pie...)

That is the crux of the problem.

 

There is no one who "clean", so there is no one with the motivation to sort this mess out.

Yesterday the deputy commander of the RTP General Suchart Theerasawat - known as Big Mai - appeared with a whole team of top brass at a press conference. 

 

They must all have sweaty fingers right now.

If he has 600 million one staggers to think what his superiors have amassed?

 

Joe F. was just one, albeit prolific, earner, paying upwards.

 

Interesting marriage/par amour(s) situation. Not unlike heroin flour boy.

 

Was shagging his bosses daughter most recently.

 

These guys make The Sopranos look like cub scouts.

 

 

Hie Elephant Ticket was a good investment, and those senior police who loaned him the cash to buy his captaincy, made a wise investment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

41 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Thats only assets any cash lying around?

Nah that was stuffed into envelops five minutes after his arrest, prior to any search.

Oh and g/f LV suitcases

52 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Thats only assets any cash lying around?

Covered at the beginning of the article...

"...has 600 million baht in the bank, property and cars".   Cash is an asset.

Crook!

1 hour ago, Taboo2 said:

To think, I wasted  6 years getting a Chemistry and Chemical Engineering degree...and still just a normal middle class worker bee....slave to the system.....if only I knew of the great opportunities out there...as a policeman.....55555

Should have learned alchemy,like this guy.. ???? 

43 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Joe Ferrari will have to do a (very short) stretch in a very luxurious wing of the prison.

Urban myth in Thailand, there are no "luxury wings" in Thai prisons.

24 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

Yesterday the deputy commander of the RTP General Suchart Theerasawat - known as Big Mai - appeared with a whole team of top brass at a press conference. 

 

They must all have sweaty fingers right now.

"Sticky ",certainly..

2 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

Should have learned alchemy,like this guy.. ???? 

Yes. He turned plastic into paper.