Police disagree with the prosecutor’s indictment of only six charges against Premchai

Police will submit its objection against the public prosecution’s decision to indict Italian-Thai Development boss Premchai Karnasuta and three hunting partners of six counts of charge instead of nine counts as recommended by the police, said Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, the deputy national police chief, on Wednesday (April 4).

He said the police wanted the four accused to be indicted with nine counts of charge except for the charge of cruelty against animals and illegal possession of firearms which were earlier dropped by the police.

However, he noted that it was the discretion of the prosecution in charge of the case to decide to press ahead with six counts of charge to the court or to add three more counts of charge as recommended by the police.

He admitted that it was now beyond the authority of the police to do anything about the case and there was no need for the police to submit any more evidence to the public prosecution because their case was water tight.

Earlier Wednesday morning, Mr Somjate Amnuaysawat, the chief prosecutor handling the case, said that if the police had any objection about the prosecution’s decision to indict the four accused on six counts of charge, he would sent to the case file to the attorney-general together with the police objection to the attorney-general for consideration.

The six counts of charge pressed against Premchai and his three hunting partners include illegal hunting in wildlife sanctuary; illegal hunting of protected species in wildlife sanctuary; illegal possession of carcasses of protected species; concealing of illegally-acquired carcasses of wildlife; illegal collection of wild products in national forest reserves and illegal carrying of firearms in public without a permit and without proper reasons.

Pol Gen Srivara said the fact that the public prosecutors agreed with the police to indict key charges, such as illegal hunting in wildlife sanctuary and illegal hunting of protected species, relected that police investigation and case filed were completed.