About 200 police officers with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) are expected to be transferred to remote areas over their suspected links to the alleged illicit business cartel of former CIB chief Pongpat Chayapan.
A source at the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) said yesterday that 202 officers would be transferred, making it the largest simultaneous set of transfers in the CIB's history.
Thitirat: Poised to replace Pongpat
The transfers were aimed at improving the reputation of the bureau as the 202 officers had been promoted during Pol Lt Gen Pongpat's tenure, the source said.
The former CIB chief was charged with allegedly heading a cartel which demanded bribes from police seeking promotion, gambling den operators, and oil smugglers. He was also charged with citing the royal family to support the illicit businesses.
National police chief Pol Gen Somyot Pumpunmuang is working on the transfers. He will replace Pol Lt Gen Pongpat with deputy CIB chief Pol Maj Gen Thitirat Nonghanpitak.
The 202 officers cover the rank of inspector up to the deputy commanders of all units under the CIB.
About 50-60 officers, or 25%, of those facing transfer are at the CSD. A smaller number of officers are from the Highway Police, the Technology Crime Suppression Division and the Marine Police Division.
The source said preparation for the transfers was time-consuming because authorities had yet to find enough officers willing to move to the new CIB posts.
Police from other provinces are settled and do not want to move, the source said.
Those to be transferred from the CIB will include deputy CSD commanders Pol Col Pornsak Surasit, Pol Col Jakkrit Iamjaengpan and Pol Col Kritsada Kanchana-alongkorn, the source said.
Those who will return to the CSD as its deputy commanders include Pol Col Itthipol Atchariyapradit, deputy investigative chief of the Provincial Police Region 9; Pol Col Suthin Sapphuang, deputy commander of the Patrol and Special Operations Division; Pol Col Prasert Pattanadee, deputy commander of the Anti-Human Trafficking Division; and Pol Col Sompop Pongrerk, deputy investigative chief of the Provincial Police Region 7.
Pol Col Jirapop Puridet, a superintendent at the Tourist Police Division, who is acting as the chief of the CSD sub-division 1 supervising Bangkok, will take on the role at sub-division 1, succeeding Pol Col Akkharawut Limrat who fell to his death after being purged in November along with others for their links to Pol Lt Gen Pongpat.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Court has approved arrest warrants for two more people, one police officer and one civilian, who are allegedly connected to Pol Lt Gen Pongpat.
The suspects — Pol Lt Col Songrak Khunsri, deputy chief of the CSD's Sub-Division 6, and Songpol Thongsin — were wanted on charges of money laundering. Pol Lt Col Songrak is Pol Lt Gen Pongpat's former aide.
Mr Songpol is a driver of former CIB deputy chief Pol Maj Gen Kowit Wongrungroj, who was arrested last month along with Pol Lt Gen Pongpat.
The warrants were issued after the pair failed to respond to summons from investigators seeking additional information.