Prosecutors seek tougher sentences in tycoon’s leopard poaching case

[snoop1130]

Prosecutors seek tougher sentences in tycoon’s leopard poaching case

By The Nation

 

 

Prosecutors are due to submit a legal request to see the details of the ruling on the black leopard poaching case involving construction tycoon Premchai Karnnasuta of Italian-Thai Development Plc.

 

Kosolwat Inthuchanyong of the Office of the Attorney-General said a panel set up to follow up the case would make a request to the court and review yesterday’s ruling to see whether there were any grounds to appeal against the decision, especially on the charge of joint poaching against Premchai.

 

The legal process is under the office’s authority as the public prosecutor acted as the plaintiff in the case.

 

The prosecutors filed six charges against Premchai, including joint poaching. The court ruled that he had only acted in a supporting role and was sentenced to two-thirds of the penalty or eight months.

 

Premchai was also charged with carrying weapons in public without permission and possessing wild animal carcasses without permission, which involved a pheasant found at Premchai’s camp. But the court dismissed the charge over a part of the black leopard found skinned to the bone with some flesh from its tail in a soup pot near the camp.

 

 

Altogether, Premchai was sentenced to 16 months in jail before being released on bail.

 

Premchai along with three other companions were apprehended in Thung Yai Wildlife Sanctuary in early February last year by Thung Yai chief Wichien Chinwong and his staff at their campsite in a prohibited zone. 

 

Rifles, shotguns and other weapons, ammunition, cooking equipment and the carcasses of wild animals, including a skinned black leopard, was found after the search.

 

Kosolwat said it would be hard to file new evidence in an appeal, but the prosecutors would review points made in the ruling, which he said were still valid grounds for an appeal.

 

As there were no witnesses in the incident, the prosecutors relied on evidence, including that from wildlife forensics and additional plaintiff witnesses’ testimonies.

 

“We will examine all testimonies as well as the reasons why the court ruled the way it did and then see points to believe that they acted before deciding whether to move ahead with an appeal. I cannot confirm what the prosecutors will decide, but this should be made within 30 days or a further few requests for a postponement if necessary,” said Kosolwat.

 

Kosolwat said the court’s ruling on Premchai had shown that crimes had been committed and penalties were launched against the wrongdoer.

 

Wichian said the ruling proved no one was above the law and jail is not just for the poor, as was always believed in Thai society.

 

He and his chiefs at the National Parks Department had agreed that the ruling should be appealed.

 

 

Sasin questioned the court’s ruling that the charge of possessing a black leopard carcass against Premchai was dismissed.

 

It is seen as likely that the defendant will fight at the Appeals and Supreme Court for a suspension, although Premchai had already said sorry to the public after the ruling. 

 

He urged Premchai to drop any thoughts of an appeal and work to set ethical standards in wildlife cases.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30366182

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-20

[sweatalot]

I wonder are they doing the right thing?

 

Or are they just playing another act in the drama "we pretend to do justice"

[webfact]

Forensic expert questions Premchai acquittal of panther carcass possession

 

 

The chief of the Wildlife Forensic Science Unit, at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, has raised questions about Tuesday’s dismissal by the Thong Pha Phume provincial court of the panther carcass possession charge laid against construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta.

 

In her Facebook post on Tuesday, Dr. Kanita Ouitavon said she used to tell herself not worry about the legal proceedings of the case but, when the verdict was delivered, she wondered whether she had overlooked something in her forensic work when identifying the carcasses of wildlife species collected from the crime scene.

 

“All the evidence, be it the panther skin with bullet holes, panther tail soup in the pot, bones from the stream, intestines, several knives, the chopping board, blood stains on leaves or on the ground, all showed that they came from the same panther,” said Dr. Kanita in her post, adding “Forensic science work does not just provide answers to what kind and how many animals are involved, but must provide more answers.”

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/forensic-expert-questions-premchai-acquittal-of-panther-carcass-possession/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-03-21

[webfact]

Thungyai wildlife chief wants heavier penalty for Premchai 

 

 

Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary chief Wichien Chinnawong said today that, while he respects the verdict of the Thong Pha Phume provincial court on Italian-Thai Development boss Premchai Karnasuta, he believes the billionaire deserves a heavier penalty.

 

Speaking at a panel discussion jointly organized by the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation and environment reporters’ club today, Mr. Wichien said he and his immediate superior, Mr. Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn, director of the 10th Conservation Area Management Office, had discussed the 16-month sentence handed to Premchai and both agreed that the verdicts and/or punishments should be appealed. However, they say they want to study the full text of the court’s verdict first.

 

The wildlife sanctuary chief, who arrested Premchai and his party, said that all big cats in Thailand’s wilderness have tremendous ecological value, much more than the two million baht compensation demanded by the court.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thungyai-wildlife-chief-wants-heavier-penalty-for-premchai/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-03-21

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

said today that, while he respects the verdict of the Thong Pha Phume provincial court on Italian-Thai Development boss Premchai Karnasuta, he believes the billionaire deserves a heavier penalty.

says he respects it , but then pretty much directly says he doesn't

[yellowboat]

9 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

He urged Premchai to drop any thoughts of an appeal and work to set ethical standards in wildlife cases.

It is his right to appeal like any other citizen, and if he had any ethics or thoughtfulness, he would not have killed those animals.   He is just like all the other Thai elites.   They just do not give a dam_ about anyone else.  They make messes and expect to be looked after.

[sammieuk1]

The sentence should have at least as harsh as an ecig seller surely????

[ChrisY1]

10 hours ago, sweatalot said:

I wonder are they doing the right thing?

 

Or are they just playing another act in the drama "we pretend to do justice"

I believe the latter.....Premchai would surprise if he was actually imprisoned.

[SABloke]

Ah, the old "Appeal a conviction under the guise of wanting to get a tougher conviction, and then succeed in getting the conviction overturned but fail to get the thougher conviction" card. ????

[LomSak27]

I assume, sadly, that this is nothing more than a fight between rival business operations and has nothing to do with wildlife and poaching prevention. That is just the charge, they were able to nail him for. If he ran down a som tom seller with his BMW, they would have used that.  

 

Construction tycoon Premchai Karnnasuta of Italian-Thai Development Plc. has enemies and rivals. The end result could be his constraction contracts gets invalidated and then thrown open to other bidders. If that happens we see true motives.  Or Perhaps this is nothing more than a pre emptive strike in the project to link Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan and U-Tapao airport in Rayong.

 

It would be great if it was about Wildlife...its not.   ????

 

[klauskunkel]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Wichian said the ruling proved no one was above the law and jail is not just for the poor

The ruling proves no such thing. He is not yet in jail and chances are he won't be. He will exhaust all his appeals over many years, and then he will become too ill to serve his sentence and after having built himself a sympathetic judge his sentence will be voided on humanitarian grounds. This scenario is exactly possible because he is rich, it's not available to the poor.

So, Wichian, it's not the ruling that counts, it's what come afterwards in this Thai Judicial Leopard Soup Opera. 

 

[Bluespunk]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prosecutors are due to submit a legal request to see the details of the ruling on the black leopard poaching case involving construction tycoon Premchai Karnnasuta of Italian-Thai Development Plc.

Give it up boys, he’s rich and has no reason to fear the legal system. 

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

the black leopard found skinned to the bone with some flesh from its tail in a soup pot near the camp

Should have waited for them to put some mushrooms in the pot... he'd have been looking at some serious jail time then !!!!!

[The Deerhunter]

1 hour ago, Bluespunk said:

Give it up boys, he’s rich and has no reason to fear the legal system. 

And his driver has already taken the blame for the leopard. He is only responsible for the pheasant.

[Dinobot]

The sentence was a joke and the judge is enjoying a windfall. Hopefully these prosecutors aren’t in on it too and have some nuts.

[Borzandy]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prosecutors seek tougher sentences in tycoon’s leopard poaching case

This prosecutor will be soon move at inactive post.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I think the above comment about all this potentially being related to a construction industry bidding takeout ploy is an interesting one... especially since these kinds of things are known to happen here.

 

When such cases get unusual treatment like this -- meaning powerful people are actually prosecuted -- it's often the case that there's some other motive lurking underneath, or, some other more powerful people are looking to take someone out.

 

[Cadbury]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Prosecutors seek tougher sentences in tycoon’s leopard poaching case

I thought he was dealt with a bit harshly. He was only there because he happened to have some guns plus they needed someone to look after the eski and keep the beer cold. I doubt if he would have been capable of walking 50 metres. In fact, the furthest he walked was to the back of the truck to take a dump which the forensic CSI cops quickly pounced on in the hope of finding some panther DNA in it.

[from the home of CC]

There was a time when this sentence would have never been issued let alone questioned, I'm assuming there was a blow back on the book of face..