Convicted Thai cop dodges 800 year jail sentence

[webfact]

Convicted cop dodges 800 year jail sentence
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- You do the crime, you do the time. For a 39-year-old former police officer convicted of skimming from official fees that almost meant a year in prison for every THB114 taken.

Police Sgt. Maj. Mno Muchua was indicted in criminal court yesterday on charges of corruption, which could have sent him to prison. For 800 years, according to statute.

That’s because Mno, previously an administrator in the Bueng Kum district, was taken to task for 160 counts of corruption, as officials say he took helping handfuls of official fees from alien registration and bail money to the tune of THB91,200.

The law states the defendant would have to face terms of five years in prison for each of the 160 counts.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2013/12/13/convicted-cop-dodges-800-year-jail-sentence


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2013-12-13

[englishoak]

BANGKOK: -- You do the crime, you do the time

Now THAT is funny

[Zolt]

"Dodges" is a relative term. He's still looking at 50 years.

[h90]

"Dodges" is a relative term. He's still looking at 50 years.

It makes a difference if you go out 2064 or 2814

[bander]

Now this is good news, keep on going internal affairs

Good to get rid of some dirty BIB, lets hope they continue with this kind of crackdown

[Kerryd]

His crime was that he didn't steal enough. Had he stolen more he would have earned a diplo passport and been allowed to travel around the world without restriction.

Had he stolen enough he could probably even kill another policeman and not have to worry about jail time at all !

If he was smart, he would confess to doing some other minor crime, so that he could be let out on bail while awaiting a court appearance on that charge. Then he could hop on a plane to Canada and live off the "gratitude" of the Canadian taxpayers while using taxpayer funded lawyers to appeal extradition requests and deportation orders. He should easily be able to outlast the statue of limitations on those charges and when he eventually does return, he'll be much richer !

[aTomsLife]

"Dodges" is a relative term. He's still looking at 50 years.

It makes a difference if you go out 2064 or 2814

At 39 years old, a 50 year sentence is essentially a life-sentence. So I don't see much of a difference.

[Deserted]

Is this supposed to be news?

[Local Drunk]

Is this supposed to be news?

Yeah... Because police and government corruption is the root of most of the problems here.

[JoeThePoster]

Police Sgt. Maj. Mno Muchua

Soon to be known as Mno Muchacha.

[Loles]

Guys, I'm bagging, 50 yrs or 800 yrs in jail ..... are almost same

[JeremyBowskill]

50 years for 91k, not even 2k a year. hahahahahahahahahha

[spirit47]

Taksin get 2 years and the Police Officer 800 years, maybe he forget to give the money to his boss...

[bkkfaranguy]

His crime was that he didn't steal enough. Had he stolen more he would have earned a diplo passport and been allowed to travel around the world without restriction.

Had he stolen enough he could probably even kill another policeman and not have to worry about jail time at all !

If he was smart, he would confess to doing some other minor crime, so that he could be let out on bail while awaiting a court appearance on that charge. Then he could hop on a plane to Canada and live off the "gratitude" of the Canadian taxpayers while using taxpayer funded lawyers to appeal extradition requests and deportation orders. He should easily be able to outlast the statue of limitations on those charges and when he eventually does return, he'll be much richer !

Or if he had stolen even more he would not have to leave the country he could just hang around and start his own coup! Of coarse he would need the backing of the rich BKK elites and the military as well!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I seriously doubt he'll serve any meaningful jail/prison time. He is a cop, after all.

The article doesn't mention, as they almost always fail to do, whether or not he's actually in custody or out on bail at the moment. Likely out on bail.

If things follow the normal course, he'll either scamper long before his case reaches the finish line. Or his ultimate sentence will be suspended or some such thing.

Based on the allegations, he deserves to go to jail. But people who deserve to go to jail here, seemingly, rarely do.

Edited December 13, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[bkkfaranguy]

Is this supposed to be news?

Yeah... Because police and government corruption is the root of most of the problems here.

Yes true, but everyone already knows this and the majority of the Thai population accept it, as it is just the way of life here.

The news is they actually convicted someone for a change, he must of done something else to get this sentence.

[webfact]

Police Officer Gets '800 Years' For Corruption

By Khaosod Online

BANGKOK: -- Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court has sentenced a former police officer to 800 years in prison, after he was found guilty on corruption charges.

The court said there are enough evidences that Pol.Sgt. Mano Noochuea, the 39 year old former policeman from Bueangkhum Police Station, had embezzled state money and failed to perform his duty appropriately.

While performing his duty, the court said, Pol.Sgt. Mano pocketed 72,000 baht fines from 157 arrests of alien workers, as well as another 19,000 baht from the bail money of three defendants.

Convicting him of 160 counts of corruptions, the court handed down the jail term of 5 years for each count, resulting in 800 years of imprisonment.

However, the court noted that the defendant had already returned the embezzled money to the state and confessed to his crime, which led the court to reduce his punishment by a half out of leniency.

Furthermore, as the laws only allow the defendant to be sentenced up to 50 years, the defendant was accordingly sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE5qa3hNVFkzTkE9PQ==


-- Khaosod English 2013-12-13

[MikeOboe57]

Blimey, l didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition!

Sent from my GT-N5100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[belg]

a good start

[pacovl46]

50 years for 91000 Baht? That's ridiculous!!!

[rreddin]

50 years for 91k, not even 2k a year. hahahahahahahahahha

It is not clear from any of the reports of this decision whether the sentences were to run consecutively or concurrently. If it is intended that they run consecutively, the penalty is obviously disproportionate to the crime. It is likely that court's decision was not only made in the knowledge that a more appropriate senetence will be substituted on appeal, but also to ensure that a message is sent to other offenders.

[Thai at Heart]

And murderers get?

[writeshack]

20 years is the max you can serve in Thailand.

[newatthis]

I bet some of the corrupt politicians and business people would be aghast at this sentence.

[longtom]

Is this supposed to be news?

Do you mean the rare occurrence of a Thai policeman beeing convicted of corruption? Extremely newsworthy imo .

Or do you mean the fact that a sacrificial lamb (who very probably just stepped on somebody important's toe) is convicted to an insanely high sentence, while literally 10'000s of Bibs are guilty of much larger crimes and will never even be indicted? You're right,normal state of affairs ,

[culicine]

Obviously the boss was left out of the loop. A big no no for a minion cop.

[SOTIRIOS]

...selective justice once again........

...so many others have gotten away with murder...figuratively and literally.......

[Robby nz]

Probably something like "lets do someone for corruption so we can try to show we are doing something about it"

Wondered why the picked on him in particular, other than that he is only a junior rank ?

Always get a laugh when the same red comes in and tries to twist a topic into a hate Suthep thing.

[Mudcrab]

50 years for 91000 Baht? That's ridiculous!!!

or 50 years for corruption? Not so bad - should be more of it.

[Mudcrab]

Police Sgt. Maj. Mno Muchua

Soon to be known as Mno Muchacha.

or he who dropped the soap in the shower