Calls to track ‘brothel king’ cash

Stock market may shed light on Kampol

Police reform advocates have urged the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) to trace the money trail of a fugitive massage parlour tycoon accused of human trafficking.

They want to see transactions by Kampol Wirathepsuporn, who owned the massage parlour Victoria’s Secret Massage, on the stock market as it may expose more big names linked to his network.

Speaking yesterday at a seminar held by Police Watch, a police monitoring campaign group, Sunand Srichantha, economic and stock market analyst, said he has found suspicious trading on the stock market between Mr Kampol, former national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung and another businessman who is now a media mogul.

“In 2015, Pol Gen Somyot sold a large amount of shares he held in one company to Mr Kampol,” Mr Sunand said. “After just three months, the company was suspended from trading. Another suspicious thing I found is a company related to a media mogul bought land in a southern province from Mr Kampol at above-market prices and Pol Gen Somyot has invested his money in many listed companies linked to this businessman.”

Recently, the DSI revealed its investigation found the money trail of Mr Kampol led to the former police chief. Pol Gen Somyot admitted that while he was police chief he borrowed 300 million baht from Mr Kampol.

Pol Gen Somyot said Mr Kampol was an old friend who helped him out at a difficult time. He said he had repaid the loan and had declared it to the authorities at the time. The former police chief also said 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.

“I cannot say that Mr Kampol’s network used the stock market to launder sin money because there is no clear evidence yet, but what I’ve found justifies the DSI and Amlo following up the matter, and they may find more big names,” Mr Sunand said.

Former Democrat MP Watchara Phetthong called on the public to put pressure on Pol Gen Somyot as he has failed to live up to the ethical standards of a police chief when he said the “police profession had only been sideline”.

“Pol Gen Somyot is now member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) as well as head of the Thai Football Association. I do not know whether these two positions are also his sideline,” Mr Watchara said.

Last week, Mr Watchara submitted a petition to NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai demanding a probe into the conduct of Pol Gen Somyot. He said the ethical codes are now in place and they should apply to Pol Gen Somyot even though his questionable actions took place before he was appointed as an NLA member.

Former deputy police inspector general Pol Col Wirut Sirisawasbutr said the Somyot case showed the Thai police code of ethics was “just a paper tiger” as no police officers have ever been punished since it was introduced in 2008.