Kamnan Sia given 5 years jail term by the Supreme Court

[webfact]

Kamnan Sia given 5 years jail term by the Supreme Court



BANGKOK: -- The Supreme Court has sentenced former Democrat MP of Kanchanaburi Pracha Pothipipit who is better known under the name of Kamnan Sia to five years imprisonment on charges of biddings collusion, extortion, illegal detention and being a member of an illegal organization.

The court’s final verdict which was delivered today (Monday) at the Criminal Court was a reversal of the Appeals Court’s verdict which acquitted the influential kamnan in Kanchanaburi, his Common Law wife, Mrs Khemporn Tangjaiyen and Ms Wanna Lorpaiboon, an aide to Mrs Khemporn. Another defendant, Mr Thawil Sawatdee, died during the court’s trials.

In the same verdict of the Supreme Court, Mrs Khemporn and Ms Wanna were each given four years jailterm on similar charges.

All the defendants were charged with colluding in the bidding of several construction projects in Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces and with resorting to illegal means to block other contractors from bidding. The alleged illegal activities took place during 1999-2001.

Kamnan Sia, his wife and Ms Wanna did not attend the court’s reading of the verdict today. The court the issued warrants for their arrest to serve the jailterms.

Earlier, the trio kept asking for postponement of the announcement of the Supreme Court’s verdict until the court decided to order their arrests.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/148032


-- Thai PBS 2016-01-26

[siliconvalley]

Wow.

No fine? Thailand needs the R.I.C.O. Act.

[halloween]

Obviously politically motivated prosecution, the junta just getting rid of its democratic opponents. Oh wait, wrong party.

[smutcakes]

Will they be picked up by the military like other people with arrest warrants?

[Briggsy]

They have disappeared already. People like this don't do time in jail in Thailand under any circumstances.

[robblok]

They have disappeared already. People like this don't do time in jail in Thailand under any circumstances.

Maybe he can go to Dubai, seems Thai convicted criminals love it there.

I hope they get this guy.. but it seems unlikely if he has fled the country.

[tomacht8]

The hole case runs over 15 yo in the courts. That is way to long.

Since 15 years this criminal runs free around. Shame.

[thequietman]

Picking mushrooms gets you fifty years.

Go figure.

[ratcatcher]

Enjoy your stay Mr Big Man. A change of lifestyle will do you good.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

In all likelihood, they're all gone to the wind, and unlikely to be found or seen inside Thailand.

Chances of serving their actual sentence of jail time: pretty close to zero.

Justice as an illusion, only.

[EyesWideOpen]

What are the odds of a follow up story saying

they have skipped town ??

[lovelomsak]

He probably will not see one day in jail. Just smoke and mirrors. Just setting the stage for the future when they sentence the people they want in jail and can say they are nor partial.

[Prbkk]

Round it up to 10.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

There are two prior posts on the ThaiPBS site on the courts supposedly ordering arrest warrants for this couple after they previously failed to show up at two prior scheduled verdict readings. And in all three posts, this one and two prior, zero mention of if they were out of bail and if so, in what amounts.

From the mid-November ThaiPBS post:

The court suspected that the defendant might run away and decided to issue a warrant for his arrest and set the new date for the reading of the verdict on December 22.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/138747

But apparently, didn't do much to prevent them from doing so... 15 years or so after the original accused crimes!

[lucky11]

I hope they arrest them all and put them away to serve their time.

He is not a politician, he is an opportunistic fraudster that is hiding behind his MP status. I don't care about what denomination of colour of shirt they wear - if you do the crime, then serve the time. I absolutely detest people who think they are above the law and the more they sort out the better, as far as I'm concerned!!

[GeorgesAbitbol]

probably caught the Flu in Singapore and staying with the Red Bull heir

[Briggsy]

Kamnan Sia has no need to go anywhere. Who is going to go and arrest him in Kanchanaburi? He "owns" the province. Same as Kamnan Poh living in his house in Chonburi for years following a murder conviction and the police "couldn't find him".