A son of a deputy minister has been sentenced to two months in jail, suspended for two years, for charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and obstructing police duty.
Prayut Phetcharakhun, spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General, said on Friday that Panich Promphat received the suspended jail term after prosecutors verbally indicted him in court on two counts. He faced charges of drink-driving and failing to follow police instructions.
Mr Panich, 46, confessed to the charges, leading to a commuted sentence of half from the original four months. He was ordered to pay a fine of 4,000 baht, perform one year of community service, and have his driver's licence revoked for six months.
Mr Panich is the son of Deputy Minister of Public Health, Santi Promphat. The Public Health Ministry is one of the key agencies raising awareness on the anti-drink driving campaign, especially during long weekends, including Songkran.
Mr Santi's son failed to stop his BMW i8, valued at 11.8 million baht, when traffic police ordered him to take an alcohol test at a checkpoint on Ratchadaphisek Road in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, at 3.30am on Thursday, according to the police report.
When police used a traffic barrier to block the vehicle, the politician's son allegedly attempted to flee the checkpoint. Subsequent testing revealed a blood alcohol level of 183 milligrammes, far exceeding the legal limit of 50 mg for drivers over 20 years old.
At the time, Mr Panich accused the officers of lacking the authority to detain him. He also accused them of theft when he was taken to Pracha Chuen station.
At the station, Mr Panich appeared intoxicated. According to the report, the police "forced him to enter the detention room before the interrogation process began."
Santi: My son's a good kid.
Before the sentence was announced by the North Bangkok District Court, the deputy minister said on Friday that he was unaware of his son's arrest as he was not in Bangkok.
"He is a good kid," Mr Santi said in an interview with Channel 3 news. "We have to respect law."
Mr Santi, 72, is a deputy leader of the Palang Pracharath Party and a former prominent figure in the Pheu Thai Party. He has his political base in Phetchabun province.