Arrest warrants were issued Tuesday for former Democrat MP Pracha “’Kamnan Sia“ Pothipipit and an aide to his wife after they failed to appear to hear the verdict in their government-contract bid-fixing case.
Pracha 'Kamnan Sia' Pothipipit fails to show up to hear a court verdict in a bid-fixing case. Court warrants have been issued for the arrest of the former Democrat MP and another defendant in the case. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Mr Pracha, his wife Khemmaporn Tangjaiyen, her aide Wanna Lorpaiboon and the late Thawil Sawasdee are defendants in the public prosecutors' lawsuit charging them with using force, intimidation and illegal detention to fix the results of a May 2001 bidding contest related to the procurement of materials for government contracts in Kanchanaburi and Phetchaburi provinces.
The defendants were scheduled to hear the Supreme Court's verdict on Tuesday, but only Ms Khemmaporn appeared at the Criminal Court, where the verdict was to be read.
Mr Pracha sent his lawyer to request a postponement of the verdict, claiming he had not yet received a court appointment due to a change of address. Ms Wanna also had tapped a representative to hear the ruling on her behalf.
The court found Mr Pracha's reason unsound and said Ms Wanna had earlier sought a continuance but this time she didn't show. The court decided to issue arrest warrants for the two to appear before the court March 11.
According to the prosecution's lawsuit, the defendants colluded in fixing bids for several projects in the two provinces between 1999 and May 17, 2001.
On May 17, 2001, Mr Thawil, Mr Pracha's personal secretary Somsak Srisook, and other men prevented Wassadu Centre Co from taking part in the bidding by detaining Decha Matwanna, a company representative.
They then allegedly offered 10,000 baht cash to Mr Decha in exchange for not joining the bidding contest, but the latter turned down their offer. This prompted Mr Pracha's men to physically assault Mr Decha. The attackers later turned themselves in to police and denied all charges.
A lower court earlier sentenced Mr Pracha to five years in jail for being the racketeer leader. The other defendants were given jail terms of four years each on racketeering charges. They appealed the ruling. The Appeals Court overthrew the lower court's ruling, prompting prosecutors to petition the Supreme Court.
In August, Mr Pracha was sentenced for just one year in jail and received immediate bail after being found guilty in an unrelated case of encroaching on 1,199 rai of public land in two Kanchanaburi-area provinces. He's appealing the verdict.