Ex-DSI Officer Details TPI Claims In Thai Democrat Party Dissolution Case

[webfact]

DEMOCRAT DISSOLUTION TRIAL

Ex-DSI officer details TPI claims

By Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation

Officer linked to Chalerm presents 'recording' of Bt250m in Democrat Party dissolution case

A former deputy head of the Department of Special Investigation presented dramatic but contentious "new" evidence yesterday to the Constitution Court in the Democrat Party dissolution case hearing.

Police Col Suchart Wonganan-tachai handed the court CDs of a 13-minute audio file, which he said was a recording of Prachuap Sangkhao, a Messiah Business and Creation executive, telling a disguised officer his firm received Bt258 million from TPI Polene - a huge cement company - and "siphoned" it to Democrat Party.

Police Col Suchart said the file was recorded during a DSI "sting" operation as initial "witness testing" in 2008, when it first received a complaint about the scandal. It was allegedly made by an "officer in disguise" at a massage parlour where Prachuap worked as a manager.

The Democrat Party has been accused of failing to use Bt29 million in political party development funds it received from the Election Commission as it had proposed. If found guilty, the party could be dissolved.

In the recorded conversation, Prachuap said he had a good relationship with many Democrats. They also helped him in founding Messiah, the advertising company, Police Col Suchart said.

"In 2004, he (Prachuap) used Messiah's name to receive over Bt200 million for the Democrat Party. He also talked about the purchase of false receipts," Police Col Suchart said. He alleged that key Democrats including party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, Wittaya Kaewparadai, Banyat Bantadtan and Thepthai Seanapong knew well about the siphoning.

The EC did not give the audio CD and its transcript to the court, but Police Col Suchart, who said he had never shared the evidence with others, then asked the court to accept the material as "new evidence".

Police Col Suchart, who was an investigator for the case, said he found irregularities in Messiah's accounting reports. "You can see something is definitely wrong. When Messiah accepted an order to do something it did not spend the money on the cause, and it used the receipts issued by companies the Revenue Department declared as unauthorised to issue receipts," he said.

TPI Polene hired Messiah to produce advertisements for it. The Democrat Party, meanwhile, proposed to the EC it would use Bt29 million in electoral funds on election campaign boards, which it hired Messiah to make.

Police Col Suchart said he also found evidence of a deal between Prachuap and the Democrat Party. Meanwhile, a money transfer amount also matched money transferred to people close to Pradit Pattaraprasit, the then Democrat secretary-general. The documents also had a fax number found later to belong to the party.

Democrat Party lawyer Bundit Siripant questioned why Police Col Suchart had never revealed the evidence before, and how he got it out of the DSI - as he is now an inspector at the Information and Communica-tions Technology Ministry.

Bundit also questioned Police Col Suchart's relationship with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the anti-government red shirts.

Bundit said he learned from a high-ranking source that Police Col Suchart asked Prachuap for cooperation to frame the Democrat Party and that Prachuap told him he needed financial help.

Police Col Suchart said it was not his intention to frame the Democrat Party and he really found convincing evidence.

Bundit asked Police Col Suchart about his relationship with Pheu Thai MP Chalerm Yoobamrung, who gave him hundreds of thousands of baht for Suchart's father's funeral. Police Col Suchart said that was not relevant and Bundit was insulting him.

Chalerm queried the Democrat Party about the TPI "scandal" during a no-confidence debate last year.

An executive at a sign production company also testified. Suchart Kerd-mek said his company subcontracted production of election campaign boards from Wasinee Thongjua. But he never received funds directly from the Democrat Party.

Suchart said he had not come to the court earlier because he was sick - he was not sent abroad and detained by the Democrats, as claimed by Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit.

Thongchai Kolsrichai, who was identified as a connection between the Democrats and Prachuap, said he volunteered to work for the party to get experience. With the help of a friend named Taweepong Wichaidit, he helped the party on seminars and events, but did not received any post or responsibility in the party. He resigned his Democrat membership after the election in February 2005.

Thongchai is a relative of Pradit, the former Democrat secretary-general. But he said his entering the party had nothing to do with Pradit.

Thongchai denied testimony by another witness - Wasinee Thongjua - that he had a senior position in the party and was the its contact person for the election campaign boards contract.

He met Prachuap at the party without any introduction and they mingled together, Thongchai said. He knew Prachuap was a Messiah executive and had got contracts from TPI Polene. Prachuap also asked him to join businesses that he believed would be profitable.

Thongchai said he hired Prachuap to produce souvenirs before Prachuap asked him to subcontract TPI's advertising job. Prachuap told him he would share Bt50 million out of the Bt65-million budget.

For the first instalment, he received Bt20 million from Prachuap. But when TPI made several amendments to the advertisement, he wanted to quit.

Thongchai said he later had a conflict with Prachuap over the Bt20 million and they ceased being friends.Yesterday was the last hearing for prosecution witnesses. For additional witness evidence, the court allowed Chalerm and Maj General Manoonkrit Roopkachorn to submit written testimonies within seven days instead of appearing in court.

The court has scheduled four hearings for the Democrat Party's witnesses, starting on September 27. The last hearing was set for October 18, when Abhisit and party executives Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, Khunying Kalaya Soponphanich and Thaworn Senneam are due to testify.

-- The Nation 2010-09-14

[SomTumTiger]

Most interesting sentance - the EC never gave the recording to the court. It's new evidence. Newly manufactured? Sounds fishy.

[whybother]

Most interesting sentance - the EC never gave the recording to the court. It's new evidence. Newly manufactured? Sounds fishy.

Yes. Is there a record that DSI had the recordings? Or did an ex-DSI officer, that received several hundred thousand baht from Chalerm, just happen to find it somewhere.

[rubl]

For those of you who have a bit of a problem to visualize the relation between the various witnesses, what they said and when, I have made this simple diagram.

Edited September 14, 2010 by rubl

[BigC]

Most interesting sentance - the EC never gave the recording to the court. It's new evidence. Newly manufactured? Sounds fishy.

Yes. Is there a record that DSI had the recordings? Or did an ex-DSI officer, that received several hundred thousand baht from Chalerm, just happen to find it somewhere.

just a cd. did it contain video image also or just words.

[Thai at Heart]

On what grounds should the court accept it? Because he asked nicely?

The EC did not give the audio CD and its transcript to the court, but Police Col Suchart, who said he had never shared the evidence with others, then asked the court to accept the material as "new evidence".

How can you accept evidence on a tape, if there is no corroborating evidence or proof about who the hel_l is speaking????????

[rubl]

The Audio CD can be analyzed. It should be possible to show if it had been doctored. Now to proof that the persons claimed to speak and those in the Audio clip are indeed the same, you only need to tape them speaking and do a (technical) comparison. IMHO.

doesn't tell you went the clip was made though

Edited September 14, 2010 by rubl

[Piengrudee]

"In 2004, he (Prachuap) used Messiah's name to receive over Bt200 million for the Democrat Party. He also talked about the purchase of false receipts," Police Col Suchart said. .. . . . Mind you, I don't think the purchase of false receipts is a major crime. Every government department do that all the time; and openly.

[Thai at Heart]

The Audio CD can be analyzed. It should be possible to show if it had been doctored. Now to proof that the persons claimed to speak and those in the Audio clip are indeed the same, you only need to tape them speaking and do a (technical) comparison. IMHO.

doesn't tell you went the clip was made though

But to prove that it was Somchai A versus Somsak B on the tape needs a little more analysis than Seargent Pornchai's says "so".

[rubl]

The Audio CD can be analyzed. It should be possible to show if it had been doctored. Now to proof that the persons claimed to speak and those in the Audio clip are indeed the same, you only need to tape them speaking and do a (technical) comparison. IMHO.

doesn't tell you went the clip was made though

But to prove that it was Somchai A versus Somsak B on the tape needs a little more analysis than Seargent Pornchai's says "so".

I didn't say it would be easy. May be it's just tactics by the Dem's to ensure this cases drags on for another few years

[hoaker]

If this was a non fabricated CD it would have been released on the day the democrat party was accused of siphoning money. DSI is therefore aiding and abetting these charges. Case was introduced in 2008 and why hasn't it been thrown out becuase of Lack of Evidence? The great Thai Judicial System, all sleeping under the same mosquito nets as Messiah, Thai Politicians, and conglomerates, the biggest gang to the majority contribution of inequality in Thailand!!!!

[SomTumTiger]

If this was a non fabricated CD it would have been released on the day the democrat party was accused of siphoning money. DSI is therefore aiding and abetting these charges. Case was introduced in 2008 and why hasn't it been thrown out becuase of Lack of Evidence? The great Thai Judicial System, all sleeping under the same mosquito nets as Messiah, Thai Politicians, and conglomerates, the biggest gang to the majority contribution of inequality in Thailand!!!!

Hoaker has spoken - Tremble, All, and obey! :jap:

[ballpoint]

They're not Messiah, they're just very naughty boys.

[TAWP]

They're not Messiah, they're just very naughty boys.

+1 for ref.

[asiawatcher]

Bundit said he learned from a high-ranking source that Police Col Suchart asked Prachuap for cooperation to frame the Democrat Party and that Prachuap told him he needed financial help.

Enough said ....

[RKASA]

Bundit said he learned from a high-ranking source that Police Col Suchart asked Prachuap for cooperation to frame the Democrat Party and that Prachuap told him he needed financial help.

Enough said ....

"high-ranking source" not enough said as you need to put a name to that (hear say or lie? where is the witness) - who do you think it was?