Supreme Court upholds 50-year jail sentence for ex-TAT governor, 40 years for daughter

[webfact]

Supreme Court upholds 50-year jail sentence for ex-TAT governor, 40 years for daughter

 

Juthamas

 

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the jail sentences handed to the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Juthamas Siriwan, and her daughter Jittisopha, while ruling on their appeal.

 

Juthamas had been sentenced to 50 years in jail by the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases back in March 2017 for accepting US$1.8 million (Bt62 million) in bribes from an American couple seeking the rights to host a Bangkok film festival during 2002 to 2007. Jittisopha had been sentenced to 44 years in jail for helping hide the ill-gotten cash in overseas bank accounts.

 

The court had also ordered that the money they had deposited in overseas banks, as well as the profit generated, totalling Bt62,724,776 be confiscated as state asset.

 

In May 2019, the Appeal Court upheld Juthamas’s jail sentence but reduced Jittisopha’s to 40 years. The court also revoked the order for confiscation of the money in overseas bank accounts, citing that the prosecutor had not asked for the confiscation of money or offered any evidence in their lawsuit.

 

The Supreme Court heard their appeal and decided to uphold the verdict of the Appeal Court, who had found the former TAT governor guilty of committing malfeasance by accepting bribes, which was an abuse of her power.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30398033

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-11-16

 

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[spidermike007]

Beautiful. Anytime a super corrupt person is sentenced here, it is a small miracle. 

 

However, what alot of us would love to see, would be the arrest and sentencing of some CURRENT army, police, administration, immigration and customs officials. It just never happens. It feels like the ultimate protection racket. 

Edited November 16, 2020 by spidermike007

[anterian]

If I remember correctly it was because the  American couple were prosecuted in the States and that opened a can of worms the Thai govt could not afford to ignore. 

[JusticeGB]

Stealing money and parking it overseas is safe then? Daft ruling!

[ChipButty]

It was only money they had taken in bribes, not like they robbed the government

[worgeordie]

So going to jail but allowed to keep the money....just like Chatichai Choonhavan a former

Thai PM, he was allowed to keep the money, but had to pay tax on it ????.

 

Thai justice moves very slowly if you are  connected,the guy that paid the bribe has been

dead for many years now.

regards worgeordie

[RJRS1301]

And family get to keep the money, or use it for an early release bond :)??

 

[tracker1]

15 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

It was only money they had taken in bribes, not like they robbed the government

Maybe they did by not sharing !

[tracker1]

This is what happens when you don't share !

[ChipButty]

47 minutes ago, anterian said:

If I remember correctly it was because the  American couple were prosecuted in the States and that opened a can of worms the Thai govt could not afford to ignore. 

I read some years ago there is or was some agreement between America and Thailand that American companies cant be seen to be offering inducements,

Edited November 16, 2020 by ChipButty

[JeffersLos]

How long will they really do, and how much of the money will be left.

 

My guess is not long, and not a lot. 

Edited November 16, 2020 by JeffersLos

[Oldie]

1 hour ago, anterian said:

If I remember correctly it was because the  American couple were prosecuted in the States and that opened a can of worms the Thai govt could not afford to ignore. 

More information here

 

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/film-executive-and-spouse-found-guilty-paying-bribes-senior-thai-tourism-official-obtain

 

If I see it correctly the court case in the US was finished in 2009 and the first court case in Thailand in 2017.

 

Edited November 16, 2020 by Oldie

[GinBoy2]

1 hour ago, anterian said:

If I remember correctly it was because the  American couple were prosecuted in the States and that opened a can of worms the Thai govt could not afford to ignore. 

It was Gerald & Patricia Green.

 

They fell foul to the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which during the course of the trial led to the unraveling of the whole sordid affair.

 

[soi3eddie]

I never heard of the case before but 1.8 Million USD in bribes just to host a film festival in Thailand? Guess that film festivals must be lucrative.

 

Given all the other (alleged) wrong doing and payoffs for others, with no consequences, the jail sentances seem harsh. If only it was a level playing field with all other allegations investigated and prosecuted to the same degree.   

[Grumpy one]

7 hours ago, ChipButty said:

It was only money they had taken in bribes, not like they robbed the government

But they forgot to share it

[bodga]

Id rather be an international drug  smuggler,  suggestively

[mikebell]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

The court also revoked the order for confiscation of the money in overseas bank accounts,

So the crims get to keep their ill-gotten gains!  I wonder why? 1.8 million $ would help a lot of poor people instead of a few already rich ones.

[nobodysfriend]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Juthamas had been sentenced to 50 years in jail by the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct

 

17 hours ago, webfact said:

for accepting US$1.8 million (Bt62 million) in bribes from an American couple seeking the rights to host a Bangkok film festival during 2002 to 2007.

 

17 hours ago, webfact said:

totalling Bt62,724,776 be confiscated as state asset.

 50 years in jail for corruption ? A convicted murderer only gets a few yrs here ...

His crime was not to share the money with his " superiors " .

[ExpatOilWorker]

16 hours ago, Oldie said:

More information here

 

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/film-executive-and-spouse-found-guilty-paying-bribes-senior-thai-tourism-official-obtain

 

If I see it correctly the court case in the US was finished in 2009 and the first court case in Thailand in 2017.

 

Hopefully we will see similar jail time for the greedy in THAI Airways. 

 

About Bt1.2 billion in bribes was allegedly paid to officials involved in three major deals from 1991 to 2005, according to the Serious Fraud Office.

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/national/30311102

[ezzra]

IMHO way too harsh a sentence for white collar,  crimes...that such sentences reserved for mass murderers, it would hurt them more to strip them of every baht they own right back to poverty level, and surprisingly they allowed them to keep the loot in full, strange, very strange...

[klauskunkel]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

Bt62,724,776 be confiscated as state asset

and just in time for Christmas, somebody is getting a new watch...

"L'etat c'est moi!" Louis XIV, I am the State

 

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, ChipButty said:

It was only money they had taken in bribes, not like they robbed the government

Not sharing is like robbing the government.

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, JusticeGB said:

Stealing money and parking it overseas is safe then? Daft ruling!

A very common practice, if certain off-shore Thai accounts ever got hacked it would topple the country.

[robertson468]

18 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

And family get to keep the money, or use it for an early release bond :)??

 

My thoughts exactly!

[Bluedan]

19 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Beautiful. Anytime a super corrupt person is sentenced here, it is a small miracle. 

 

However, what alot of us would love to see, would be the arrest and sentencing of some CURRENT army, police, administration, immigration and customs officials. It just never happens. It feels like the ultimate protection racket. 

really it begs the question ...why are a tiny percentage of the corrupt singled out and dealt harsh justice? A cynic may conclude that this wasn't officially approved corrupt activity.

[Keesters]

18 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I read some years ago there is or was some agreement between America and Thailand that American companies cant be seen to be offering inducements,

 

No it all has to be done under the table in large brown envelopes where it can't be seen. Then, of course, it's OK. 

[khunjeff]

18 hours ago, Oldie said:

19 hours ago, anterian said:

If I remember correctly it was because the  American couple were prosecuted in the States and that opened a can of worms the Thai govt could not afford to ignore. 

More information here

 

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/film-executive-and-spouse-found-guilty-paying-bribes-senior-thai-tourism-official-obtain

 

If I see it correctly the court case in the US was finished in 2009 and the first court case in Thailand in 2017.

 

Yes, my recollection is that the US handed Thailand all the evidence gathered in the case against the Greens, which should have been sufficient for a slam dunk prosecution of Juthamas. Thailand then followed the usual pattern for this type of case, delaying and postponing and considering while waiting for everyone to forget about it so that the matter could be dropped.

 

Unfortunately for Juthamas, though, the US kept following up again and again to ask when she would be prosecuted, so finally the case was actually prosecuted to a conclusion, even though that conclusion is rather bizarre (jailed for illegally taking money and hiding it overseas, but without forfeiture of the illegal money hidden overseas).

[Keesters]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

... citing that the prosecutor had not asked for the confiscation of money... 

 

Possibly asked for the bank login & password instead. 

[Flying Saucage]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

accepting US$1.8 million (Bt62 million) in bribes

 

Isn't that a similar value as ol' fatty's luxury watches alone?

 

Apples and pears, sure. The watches were borrowed. ????

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Flying Saucage

[scoupeo]

22 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Beautiful. Anytime a super corrupt person is sentenced here, it is a small miracle. 

 

However, what alot of us would love to see, would be the arrest and sentencing of some CURRENT army, police, administration, immigration and customs officials. It just never happens. It feels like the ultimate protection racket. 

 

 

Super corrupt ? where ? she got $2 millions for helping a good company to get the contracts !

I do not see any corruption here !