Bangkok (AFP) – A Thai construction tycoon turned himself in on Friday to face charges of alleged negligence over the collapse of a skyscraper that killed dozens of people in a powerful earthquake, police said. The 30-storey Bangkok tower crumbled in seconds, killing 89 people, mostly construction workers, when a magnitude-7.7 tremor hit neighbouring Myanmar on March 28. The building being constructed to house the State Audit Office was the only structure to collapse in the Thai capital, raising serious concerns about safety standards and oversight.
A Thai court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for 17 people on charges of “professional negligence causing death”, including Premchai Karnasuta, CEO of Italian-Thai Development (ITD), one of the kingdom’s largest construction firms. Premchai and 14 other suspects reported to Bangkok’s Bang Sue Police station where “they denied all charges”, district police chief Sanong Sangmanee told AFP, adding the remaining suspects were due Monday.
If convicted, the 71-year-old magnate faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht ($6,000). Livestream footage from local outlet The Reporters showed Premchai in a wheelchair as officers escorted him from the police station to court. A court official told AFP that Premchai will be held in pre-trial detention while prosecutors continue their investigation.
This is not the tycoon’s first legal tangle. In 2021, a Thai court sentenced him to three years and two months in prison for poaching protected wildlife, including a black panther. He was released early in 2023 as part of a group of inmates granted clemency for good behaviour. According to public filings with the Stock Exchange of Thailand, Premchai owns nearly 12 percent of ITD’s shares. Thai justice department investigators said Friday they will probe cement plates used in the tower’s construction to gather further evidence for their case.
© 2024 AFP
