29-3-2024 (BANGKOK) Police Commissioner-General Pol General Torsak Sukvimol’s legal team is poised to file defamation lawsuits against celebrity lawyer Sittra Biabungkerd in the Criminal Court on Friday, in response to allegations linking the police chief to large-scale bribery.
Lawyer Suteepong Chevitcharoen and Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, chairman of the Crime Victims Assistance Club and a member of Torsak’s legal team, announced their intent to initiate legal action against Sittra on Friday to safeguard Torsak’s reputation.
Atchariya conveyed to reporters via online messages that both criminal and civil lawsuits would be filed against Sittra at 1.30 pm on Friday.
Earlier, Suteepong informed the press that his team was finalizing documents to file a criminal lawsuit against Sittra in connection with a press conference he conducted on Tuesday.
Suteepong asserted that Sittra’s press conference had caused significant harm to Torsak, his family, police agencies under his command, and various temples.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Sittra, renowned for his success in a high-profile lottery ticket case, alleged that a syndicate of corrupt police officers had been extorting bribes from various illegal or grey enterprises to benefit three senior police officials.
Although Sittra did not explicitly name Torsak, he mentioned a senior police general with the initials “Tor Tao” or “T” in English at the helm of the alleged bribery network.
Sittra claimed to possess evidence of financial transfers to the bank accounts of General Tor Tao and his family, alleging that the illicit funds were also funnelled into temple donations to obtain tax deductions.
He asserted that the bribery network comprised individuals from two police divisions and a bureau, presenting purported evidence including financial trails, bank transfer documents, and video recordings.
Sittra alleged that the bribes, amounting to over 100 million baht per month, originated from illegal online operations, loan sharks, and leaders of illegal Indian migrant groups.
On Thursday, Sittra met with Pol General Charoon Parnkiart, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, to submit his “evidence” and urged the bureau to investigate General Tor Tao.
Additionally, a vice abbot of Wat Thiang Phimuk in Chachoengsao province clarified that Torsak had made cash donations to the temple, without seeking a donation certificate.
Suteepong reiterated Torsak’s denial of the bribery allegations, expressing confidence and emphasizing that the authenticity and legality of Sittra’s evidence remained unverified.
