Former actor Rattapoom Tokongsup has quit the Palang Pracharath party, effective November 15, after being implicated in an extortion case.
The party’s secretary-general, Paiboon Nititawan, said today that Rattapoom tendered his resignation to the political registrar of the Office of the Election Commission last Friday and his name was removed from the party’s membership list.
Paiboon insisted that the case against the former actor is his personal affair and has nothing to do with the party.
Meanwhile, another suspect in the extortion case, Krit-anong Suwannawong, was escorted by Crime Suppression Division police today to the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases, to seek court approval for her further detention, pending the outcome of the investigation.
In her Facebook post last night, Krit-anong complained that she had been treated as if she had already been convicted and sought justice for her two children, so they could spend a normal life without being marginalised by their peers for her alleged involvement in the extortion case.
She said she is ready to face the consequences of her conduct, but she pleaded with the media to spare her children.
Pol Maj-Gen Suwat Saengnoom, the deputy commissioner of Central Investigation Bureau, said today that Krit-anong has denied all the charges against her.
Krit-anong and Rattapoom are accused of demanding about 20 million baht from an iCon Group executive, identified as “Pancharat”, in return for arranging for the executive to appear on the popular talk show “Hone Krasae”, hosted by Kanchai Kamnerdploy.
Krit-anong is also accused of extorting 750,000 baht from iCon Group CEO Waratphol Waratvorakul.
