Picture courtesy of Amarin

Thailand’s Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct has dismissed charges against two senior officials of the Supreme Administrative Court, ruling they did not violate Section 157 of the Criminal Code. The decision clears the President of the Supreme Administrative Court of allegations of misconduct linked to an alleged attempt to interfere in a high-profile disciplinary case involving former police deputy chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, known as “Big Joke”. The ruling removes immediate legal jeopardy for the court’s leadership and closes the case at the preliminary examination stage.

The judgment was delivered on 28 January, at the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct. The court dismissed Case No. OrThor.172/2568 at the charge-screening stage, ruling that the actions alleged did not constitute wrongful performance or dereliction of official duty under Section 157. The defendants were Mr Anuwat Tharasawang, President of the Supreme Administrative Court’s Division for Tort and Other Liabilities, and Mr Prasit Saksilap, President of the Supreme Administrative Court.

The case arose from a private criminal complaint filed by Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, former Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police. He alleged that the two defendants were involved in improper interference in an administrative court case, citing an audio clip purportedly showing a judge influencing proceedings. The disputed case related to an order requiring him to be dismissed from government service and the complaint was filed in September 2025.

In its ruling, the court found that the complaint did not establish elements of misconduct or unlawful omission of duty as defined by law. As a result, the charges were dismissed without proceeding to a full trial. Both defendants were therefore cleared of criminal liability in connection with the alleged interference.

The decision comes amid continuing public scrutiny of legal and disciplinary proceedings linked to Pol Gen Surachate. Related investigations and statements by senior police figures, including Pol Lt Gen Jiraphop Phuridej, known as “Big Tao”, have drawn attention to the broader handling of the case and the scope of police authority. However, the court’s ruling was confined strictly to the allegations against the administrative court officials.

Amarin reported that the dismissal means there will be no further proceedings against the two defendants in this case unless new legal action is initiated. Other investigations and legal processes connected to Pol Gen Surachate, including police and oversight reviews referenced in related reporting, are continuing separately.

Key Takeaways

• The court dismissed Section 157 charges against two Supreme Administrative Court officials on 28 January.

• The case stemmed from a complaint by Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn alleging interference supported by an audio clip.

• The ruling ended the case at the charge-screening stage with no criminal liability found.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now from Amarin 2026-01-29

 

 

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The ruling removes immediate legal jeopardy for the court’s leadership and closes the case at the preliminary examination stage.

But of course, it does. The untouchables!

lol

They don't eat their own

If he is smart, he would get out of dodge before it's too late, some people just don't get the hint.

What does it say about a system that has a huge criminal court building dedicated to corruption & misconduct.......

This was probably a wise decision, the man is likely corrupt the core, it would have been impossible for him to have been Chief of Immigration for years and Deputy National Chief of Police without being so, he was never Mr. Clean, but that was a great publicity stunt and it seemed to fool a lot of people.

27 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

This was probably a wise decision, the man is likely corrupt the core, it would have been impossible for him to have been Chief of Immigration for years and Deputy National Chief of Police without being so, he was never Mr. Clean, but that was a great publicity stunt and it seemed to fool a lot of people.

So you are alleging that it is impossible for anyone to hold office in the RTP without being corrupt. Do you have facts to back up your blatant libel?

What can you expect in Thailand?

They let Thaksin run away and later come back with almost no jailtime.

They let another Shinawatra go.

They let a red bull heir go.

They let down an officer of police doing his work and whom even he had to run for safety, Paween Pongsirin. All for protection of government.

THey didnt do anything on schemes of military, They lied, cheated and stole.

No one lost his job or were brought to court.

They did kill a party, so they cant interfere anymore in government.

So "big Joke"cut him down, as he is annoying.

Just some cases, which show, Thailand makes up their own mind in courts, ran by government.

2 hands on the same belly.

However I do see similarities with lots of other countries. So what is new?