Former Thai CIB chief gets more jail terms

BANGKOK, February 26 (TNA) - Thailand's former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Police Lieutenant General Pongpat Chayapan has been handed more jail terms, raising his imprisonment to 31 years and nine months totally. Bangkok's Criminal Court sentenced Police Lieutenant General Pongpat to additional 15 years in jail on Thursday for collecting bribes from oil smugglers and unfairly promoting police officers. For the case of smuggled oil bribery, the court said it found the former CIB chief, his former deputy, Police Major General Kowit Wongrungroj, and former marine police commander Police Major General Boonsueb Praithuen guilty of receiving altogether 147 million baht, from February 2012 to July 2014, from oil smugglers. Due to their confession, the court halved their 10-year jail term each, while the former marine police commander also received an additional five-year jail term for citing the name of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, but, also due to his confession, the court halved his jail term to two years and six months. In the case of promotion-related bribes, the court found the former CIB chief, the former deputy CIB chief and three other police officers guilty of demanding bribes in exchange for the promotion of some police officers in CIB, with the bribes set at 3-5 million baht per promoted officer and were demanded in monthly installments. So far, the former CIB chief has been sentenced to 31 years and nine months in jail, but the law limits his maximal term at 20 years. (TNA)