Anti-corruption police are preparing to forward a case to prosecutors involving an alleged bribe made in gold to a National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) official, with the aim of sending it to the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases.
The case concerns allegations that 246 baht-weight of gold bars, now worth about 15 million baht, were offered to one of the NACC commissioners in an attempt to influence a case involving Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the former deputy national police chief, who was investigated in 2024 over links to an online gambling case.
Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said yesterday that police had questioned Sorapong Wongsuwan, one of the suspects accused of procuring the gold.
Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat said Mr Sorapong was brought in under a second summons after failing to appear the first time despite requesting a postponement. When he again sought to delay appearing, police arrested him, charged him with jointly bribing a state official, questioned him, and later released him at the investigator level.
Police have split the case into two files.
The first concerns the NACC commissioner who allegedly offered the bribe. That file has already been sent to parliament and the Supreme Court, where an independent inquiry panel has been appointed.
The second concerns the remaining five suspects: Pol Gen Surachate and four others, including a NACC subcommittee member and expert adviser.
Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat said police are now finalising the second case file before sending it to prosecutors, who will decide whether to submit it to the corruption court. He said the file is largely complete, with only minor checks remaining, and pledged to forward it "as quickly as possible".
He added that investigators expected legal challenges but would continue to proceed within the scope of the law.
