Thailand’s ex-top cop grilled over $13m loan from brothel owner

THAILAND: Thailand’s former national police chief, who now heads the Thai Football Association, met with investigators yesterday to explain his financial links with a fugitive massage parlour owner accused of human trafficking.

Somyot Poompanmoung reported to the Department of Special Investigation – Thailand’s FBI – after admitting that while he was police chief, he borrowed 300 million baht (almost NZ$13m) from Kampol Wirathepsuporn.

Kampol owned the Victoria Secret massage parlour, which also operated as a brothel, and has been charged with at least 12 separate counts, many related to

Ihuman trafficking and alleging he prostituted girls who were 15 to 18 years old.

Police raids in January revealed that the massage parlour employed teens and allegedly trafficked some of them into the sex trade. Investigators also discovered that police officers had received sexual favours from staff.

IPolice have raided several other venues that Kampol owns.

Somyot told reporters he was interviewed by investigators as a witness, but declined to elaborate.

Supat Thamthanarug, director of the DSI’s anti-trafficking section, said Somyot’s large loan was under investigation, but he declined to provide further details.

ISomyot said Kampol was an old friend who shared a love of sacred Buddhist amulets and had helped him out at a difficult time. He said he had repaid the loan, and had declared it to the relevant authorities at the time.

The story provoked widespread comment in Thailand about links between police and the criminal

Iunderworld. Newspaper opinion writers condemned the former police chief’s behaviour as ``shameless’'.

Somyot sullied his image further by saying in a media interview that being Thailand’s police chief had only been a sideline and that his real job was speculating on the stock market. –

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