Premchai sentenced to 16 months without suspension

[KhunBENQ]

Nice spectacle five days before election.

"We do justice!".

Provincial court, pocket money bail, appeal, next court, ...

Will take years and run into the sand.

[eezergood]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

Eric, the farmer was never convicted for picking mushrooms but for illegal logging. The farmer said he was picking mushrooms but his motorcycle was found near the illegal logging site. The charge was illegal logging NOT picking mushrooms. That is what the farmer said. 

 

Latest what i know of the case is that they are now giving the farmer a huge fine unless he gives up his boss for who he logged. 

 

So he was never convicted for picking mushrooms but for illegal logging his excuse for being at the place of the illegal logging was that he was picking mushrooms and the judge did not believe that.

I love some of the excuses these people come up with.....

 

[SkyNets]

59 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

Your right it could have been much, much, worse.

if he had been caught smoking on the beach.

Feeding fish with mushrooms while smoking (incl vaping) at the beach is a death sentence.

[Just Weird]

9 minutes ago, rkidlad said:

Get your excuses in early, Just Weird. 

You don't need excuses when you're making rational observations.

[Psimbo]

A good result given the circumstances but Thaigeezers STILL feel the need to beatch about it.

 

Forget about the sentence its the HUGE loss of face that counts in his circles. 

 

i see his underling got a much harsher sentence but that was to be expected. I think the judges realised that in this case THEY would also had been held to ridicule if he had walked away Scot free.

 

One hopes that the Khun Wichian is not hounded in the future for sticking to his morals and pushing the case despite the blatant attempt to bribe him (which is another ongoing case). He deserves promotion, not sending to a backwater post.

 

Thailand needs more people like him and the young Whistle Blower in Khon Kaen to show the rich and 'influential' that its time the cycle of corrupt activity and contempt for the law is broken once and for all.  

[Just Weird]

14 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Right, same as Yingluck.

Nothing like Yingluck, at all, she had a lot more to lose than Premchai.

[Just Weird]

24 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Deends on the charge in Oz and the risk of flight, but most times have to surrender passport to bail authority

This is nothing to do with Australia, this is Thailand, but who says that he won't have to surrender his passport for bail?

[rkidlad]

3 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

You don't need excuses when you're making rational observations.

Tell that to the Karen poacher. 

[MRToMRT]

3 pages of comments and only two comments actually saying something positive about the resulting sentence. 

 

This is a MAJOR verdict irrespective of what could possibly happen at appeal.

 

Even when they (Thais) do something right the posters here cant get over their negative attitudes and bitching mentality. What a shower.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Although, it will be kind of interesting what if anything his company does in the wake of this. Is he the actual majority owner of the company, or is he a hired executive?

 

 

To answer my own question above, according to the Stock Exchange of Thailand....

 

Karnasuta is the largest single shareholder in Ital-Thai with a 13.5% stock holding, almost double the next closest individual shareholder.

 

He's listed as Managing Director and a member of the company's Board of Directors, but is not chairman of the company's board. Though two other members of the board also have his same family name, and the second largest shareholder also appears to be his sister, who herself is the head of the Mandarin Oriental Hotels entity.

 

Quote

 

From Forbes:

	Nijaporn Charanachitta

Chairs Oriental Hotel. Family's flagship hospitality group, Amari, expanding internationally. ... Also second-largest shareholder of construction firm Italian-Thai, run by brother Premchai Karnasuta (No. 35)

 

 

I'm guessing, the company, through its Board of Directors, isn't going to be giving him any serious grief.

 

Karnasuta is the first guy on the top shareholders list below. His sister is 2nd on the list:

 

 

 

 

[ratcatcher]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

He could of course do a runner.

 Really?

[Just Weird]

53 minutes ago, billd766 said:

quote from the Thai PBS article

 

The court also ordered Prem and three other defendants to pay about two million baht in compensation to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Thungyai Narusuan Wildlife Sanctuary chief Wichien Chinnawong said, after the court’s verdict was read, that he was satisfied with the sentence, adding that justice has been served. He also praised the judges for doing a great job and said that the verdict shows that the rich and powerful are not beyond the reach of the law.
Premchai’s lawyer is preparing to seek bail for Premchai, with the bail being set at 600,000 baht.
The Italian-Thai boss is yet to make a public statement following the verdict.

 

No mention of taking any or all of his passports away to stop him flying away.

He's just been given a non-suspended sentence and has not yet been given bail so he will be in custody, therefore no need at this stage for his passport to be held by the court.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 minutes ago, Psimbo said:

A good result given the circumstances but Thaigeezers STILL feel the need to beatch about it.

 

Forget about the sentence its the HUGE loss of face that counts in his circles. 

 

The lower court sentence is at least the appearance of justice, which in and of itself is a rare occurrence here when it comes to a bigshot facing criminal charges.

 

Whether it actually ends up being a real case of justice being done will play out over the long term, and probably at best, is an uncertain prospect based on past history.

 

[Chelseafan]

 

1 hour ago, Bobobirdiebuddy said:

I'm flabbergasted he has been actually sentenced to an active term.  Let's see how this plays out.

 

Yes amazing isn't it....just before an election. ????

[rkidlad]

1 minute ago, Chelseafan said:

 

 

Yes amazing isn't it....just before an election. ????

Maybe he’ll have to wait til after the weekend to get bail. 

[Eric Loh]

22 minutes ago, robblok said:

Eric, the farmer was never convicted for picking mushrooms but for illegal logging. The farmer said he was picking mushrooms but his motorcycle was found near the illegal logging site. The charge was illegal logging NOT picking mushrooms. That is what the farmer said. 

 

Latest what i know of the case is that they are now giving the farmer a huge fine unless he gives up his boss for who he logged. 

 

So he was never convicted for picking mushrooms but for illegal logging his excuse for being at the place of the illegal logging was that he was picking mushrooms and the judge did not believe that.

“The Supreme Court on Tuesday reduced the prison sentences given a mushroom-picking couple from 15 years to five yearseach for forest encroachment”.

 

He confessed to forest encroachment so he could get a shorter prison time. For his mushroom picking, he got 15 years. 

[sammieuk1]

Oddly there was no mention of defecating in a protected area or fuel costs of the JCB that picked it up????

[billd766]

52 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Seemingly, they rarely do that with Thais here, even in the most serious cases.

 

The man's an international business tycoon.  He's got international business to do. 

And if he dropped dead tomorrow with a heart attack do you think all the companies international business would come to a grinding halt?

[robblok]

1 minute ago, Eric Loh said:

“The Supreme Court on Tuesday reduced the prison sentences given a mushroom-picking couple from 15 years to five yearseach for forest encroachment”.

 

He confessed to forest encroachment so he could get a shorter prison time. For his mushroom picking, he got 15 years. 

Must be wrong in your article, ill send you the link to the BKK post from the 12th march 2019 where it says its not about mushrooms but illegal logging. 

 

Cant post links to the BKK post here so the proof will be in your inbox.

[ratcatcher]

12 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Forget about the sentence its the HUGE loss of face that counts in his circles. 

And in Premchai's case, he has an awful lot of face to lose.

[briansbiology]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

"He'll be out on bail before you can blink..."

Why should he not be allowed to request bail if he intends to appeal?  That is a common concept worldwide, not just in Thailand, when a case is being appealed.  Would you deny him the same basic right that everyone else who is granted bail is allowed? 

 

"While out on bail and appeal, he'll probably continue pretty much as normal".

Why not, that's one of the concepts of bail, isn't it? 

arguing a moot point. stating he will be out on bail somehows triggers you into thinking people are debating whether he should be allowed on bail. Of course he should be allowed out on bail.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

And in Premchai's case, he has an awful lot of face to lose.

 

that quoted comment  below from your post doesn't belong to me... Is the TVF quoting system on the fritz???

 

[Just Weird]

Just now, briansbiology said:

arguing a moot point. stating he will be out on bail somehows triggers you into thinking people are debating whether he should be allowed on bail. Of course he should be allowed out on bail.

I agree with you, you're absolutely right but hysterical, irrational Thaivisa members generally won't though and they are debating that!

[briansbiology]

Just now, Just Weird said:

I agree with you, you're absolutely right but hysterical, irrational Thaivisa members generally won't though and they are debating that!

right. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

29 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

 Really?

 

 

Mmmmmm.... that leopard stew was mighty TASTY!!!!  Burp.....

[mercman24]

i will  be out picking mushrooms soon, just need to take an axe with me,some of them are buggers to get out of the ground ,,

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

"He'll be out on bail before you can blink..."

Why should he not be allowed to request bail if he intends to appeal?  That is a common concept worldwide, not just in Thailand, when a case is being appealed.  Would you deny him the same basic right that everyone else who is granted bail is allowed? 

 

"While out on bail and appeal, he'll probably continue pretty much as normal".

Why not, that's one of the concepts of bail, isn't it? 

 

You've expanded on your original post...  Nothing in my original comment suggested he SHOULD be denied bail. I was merely stating an obvious fact, that he will apply for bail promptly and almost certainly be granted bail.  Thus no particular reason for this guy to do a runner, which was what the poster I was responding to was talking about.

 

You're attacking an argument/position that I wasn't making/taking.

 

 

[Chang_paarp]

Congratulations to all involved in this successful prosecution. I hope it holds up in the future.

 

I wonder if his conviction of a felony and subsequent prison sentence (whether or not it is served) affects his ability to hold positions in a publicly listed company? Or is that one of the reasons for the length of the sentence? I note it was not discounted because he did not plead guilty.

[webfact]

Premchai acquitted of leopard poaching, gets 16 months in jail

By The Nation

 

 

A Kanchanaburi court jailed construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta for 16 months on Tuesday but acquitted him of poaching a black leopard in a local nature reserve.

 

The powerful Italian-Thai CEO was sentenced to six months for carrying firearms in public without permission, eight months for “aiding others to hunt wildlife in a wildlife sanctuary without permission” and two months for possessing a protected wildlife carcass – of a Kalij pheasant – without permission.

 

Premchai was acquitted of possessing a black leopard carcass and collecting wildlife items in a national forest reserve without permission.

 

Following the verdict, reporters asked Premchai for his response. He replied briefly, “I only have one thing to say: I’m sorry.”

 

 

Premchai’s close aid Yong Dodkhruea was sentenced to 13 months in jail while his driver Thanee Thummart was sentenced to a two years and 17 months and female cook Natee Riemsan to four months, suspended for two years, plus a Bt20,000 in fine.

 

The Thong Pha Phum court later released Premchai and Yong on bail of Bt400,000 each and Thanee on Bt500,000.

 

It also asked Premchai and Thanee to pay a total Bt2 million compensation plus a 7.5 per cent annual interest to the wildlife sanctuary.

 

The verdict on Tuesday stemmed from the arrest of Premchai and his three aides at their campsite in Thung Yai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary in Kanchanaburi more than a year ago in early February. Premchai is facing further legal action on separate charges, including illegally possessing two pairs of tusks from African elephants found at his Bangkok home – a case in which his wife Khanitta and associate Wandee Somphum are also defendants. He and Yong also face a charge of attempting to bribe park officials.

 

Conservationist Sasin Chalermlarp, chairman of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, said that although the verdict may not have been what the public expected, he believed the case would serve as a major lesson to Thai society. He said it had already prompted widespread public opposition to the pastime of hunting protected wildlife for fun while also educating people about wildlife forensics in the quest for justice.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30366087

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-19

 

 

[PatOngo]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

although the verdict may not have been what the public expected, he believed the case would serve as a major lesson to Thai society.

And which Thai society would that be?...….loso maybe, certainly not hiso!