Prosecutors under fire over bribery case

An activist is pressing prosecutors for answers as to why they decided not to indict senior police officers charged with accepting a bribe from an entertainment venue in Kanchanaburi in 2015.

Ronnarit Prueksayachiwa, chairman of a foundation set up to assist victims of violence against women and children and human trafficking, has forwarded a petition to Kosolwat Inthachanyong, deputy spokesman of the Attorney-General’s Office.

In the petition, he demanded the attorney-general explain why prosecutors dropped charges against senior officers accused of taking a bribe from a karaoke bar so it could continue operating in Kanchanaburi in 2015.

The business allegedly hired underaged girls, including some from neighbouring countries, to work as hostesses.

Seven officers were charged with accepting the bribe in cash, and six other officers with involvement in transferring the money to various bank accounts.

According to Mr Ronnarit, the case against the money-transferring officers has made no headway. In 2021, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) recommended they be indicted, but prosecutors have not decided whether to go with the recommendation.

However, prosecutors have dropped indictments against the bribe-accepting officers, who include a police lieutenant, despite watertight evidence against them, Mr Ronnarit added. He said he also planned to ask the DSI why it failed to protest against the move.

According to him, some police officers had a hand in issuing fake IDs to 15-year-old Myanmar girls to pass them off as legally mature 18-yearolds. This allegedly helped the karaoke operator escape a criminal charge for employing underaged workers and human trafficking.