The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases sentenced two political activists today to prison terms of six and four years respectively, for demanding a 1.5 million baht from a former chief of the Rice Department.
The duo, Yoswaris Chuklom, aka ‘Jeng Dokjik’, and Srisuwan Janya, a serial petitioner, were accused of attempting to extort money from Natthakit Khongthip, former director-general of the Rice Department, in exchange for not filing a corruption complaint.
Natthakit, however, collected evidence and reported the extortion attempt to the police, leading to their prosecution.
Yoswaris, who was indicted on six counts, including misconduct and bribery as a state official at the time, declined to give media interviews.
Srisuwan and three other defendants were charged with supporting misconduct by a state official.
Speaking before the sentencing, Srisuwan maintained his innocence, claiming that the case was politically motivated to obstruct his role in monitoring politicians and senior officials. He has consistently denied the charges since his arrest and throughout the trial.
Yoswaris was sent to prison for ix years, while Srisuwan and his co-defendants got four years each.
After the five defendants submitted a bail request with collateral, the court granted bail with Bt600,000 each as surety, and imposed the condition that they are prohibited from leaving the country.
The arrests of both defendants on January 26, 2024, surprised many, as they had usually been the ones filing complaints that led to arrests.
