Police, ministry officials clear air over Jomsap case
Police and Justice Ministry officials yesterday met to clear the air over the fatal hit-and-run case involving former teacher Jomsap Saenmuangkhot.
Jomsap was sentenced to three years and two months in prison by the Supreme Court in 2013 after being found guilty of knocking down and killing an elderly cyclist in 2005.
She was released following a royal pardon i n April 2015 after serving 18 months.
Maintaining her innocence, she later pursued a wrongful conviction case with the Justice Ministry, which eventually agreed to a retrial.
Police however i nsist the Nakhon Phanom officer who oversaw the 2005 investigation did so in accordance with investigation procedures.
Pol Gen Panya Mamen, a police inspector-general re-investigating the case, has said police would take legal action against those he believes are behind a plot to revive the case, allegedly to obtain a slice of possible compensation.
Deputy permanent secretary for justice Dusadee Arayawuth yesterday met Pol Gen Panya and other officers at the Royal Thai Police to discuss the case.
After the talks, Pol Col Dusadee said the meeting was to share information about the case and insisted the two agencies were not at odds over the issue.
The public may be confused by Jomsap’s case and believe the two organisations are in conflict with each other, but there is a role to play by each agency in justice procedures, he said.
Jomsap felt she was being treated unfairly and sought help from the Justice Ministry by seeking a retrial, which the ministry agreed to, Pol Col Dusadee said.
He said the new evidence she presented backing her claims is convincing, so yesterday’s meeting was called to look at other information the police had gathered and to listen to each organisation’s views.
Police and the Justice Ministry are doing their jobs but it will be the court that makes the final judgement, he said.
Pol Gen Panya insisted the two organisations are not in conflict .
“We have no ill-intentions toward Jomsap or anybody,” he said.
An investigation has found seven people colluded in a plot to revive the case, Pol Gen Panya said without revealing any names or details of the alleged plot.
Pol Gen Panya maintained the original investigation was followed correctly. However if it is found to be flawed, he would “fix it”, he said.
On Monday, the Nakhon Phanom Provincial Court postponed hearing Jomsap’s petition until Feb 8-10 after key witness, Sap Wapee, who claimed he drove the car involved in the hit-and-run accident, failed to appear in court.
Pol Gen Panya said police and Justice Ministry officials will meet again before the retrial.
Meanwhile, Jomsap’s husband, Niran Saenmuangkhot, insisted his wife was innocent. He said he was at home with his wife when the accident occurred.