Latest news with #StateAuditOffice
The Star
17-05-2025
- The Star
17 charged in fatal tower collapse
Facing the law: Premchai arriving on a wheelchair at Bang Sue Police Station in Bangkok. — AP A construction magnate, builders, designers and engineers surrendered to police on criminal negligence charges for the deadly collapse of a Bangkok high-rise in the March 28 earthquake that hit Myanmar. Premchai Karnasuta, the president of Italian-Thai Development Co, the main Thai contractor for the building project, as well as designers and engineers were among 17 charged with the felony of professional negligence causing death, Bangkok deputy police chief Noppasin Poonsawat said. Noppasin said those who met police yesterday formally denied the charges. Several have previously issued public denials in response to allegations in the media. Ninety-two people were confirmed dead in the rubble of the building that had been under construction and a small number of other people remain unaccounted for. The building, which was to become a new State Audit Office, was the only one in Thailand to collapse in the earthquake that was centred in neighbouring Myanmar. The search for victims at the site has been halted, though efforts to identify remains through DNA will continue. Noppasin said at a news conference that evidence and testimony from experts suggested the building plan did not meet standards and codes. The Bangkok Post newspaper said police had also determined the project showed 'structural flaws in the core lift shaft and substandard concrete and steel'. Thai media have reported allegations of wrongdoing in the project almost every day since the building's collapse, many of them involving irregular documentation for the project. A Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the 17 on the negligence charge on Thursday. Noppasin said 15 turned themselves in at a police station in the morning and the remaining two were expected to do so later. The epicentre of the quake was in central Myanmar, where it killed more than 3,700 people and caused major damage in Mandalay, the country's second biggest city, and the capital Naypyidaw. Premchai's case is his second major tangle with the law. In 2019, he was convicted of wildlife poaching and served about three years in prison. He was found guilty of killing protected animals and illegal possession of weapons after park rangers found a hunting party at a wildlife sanctuary in 2018 with carcasses of a rare black panther, a kalij pheasant and a barking deer. The panther had been butchered and its meat cooked for soup. — AP
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Thai tycoon surrenders over deadly skyscraper collapse
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. tak/jts/stu
France 24
16-05-2025
- France 24
Thai tycoon surrenders over deadly skyscraper collapse
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. © 2025 AFP
Saudi Gazette
16-05-2025
- Saudi Gazette
Construction tycoon among 17 wanted in Thailand over deadly tower collapse
BANGKOK — A Thai court has issued arrest warrants for 17 people including a high-profile construction tycoon over their alleged involvement in the building of a skyscraper that collapsed and killed scores of workers during a powerful March earthquake, Reuters reported on Thursday citing police. Search teams recovered 89 bodies in a six-week operation in the rubble of the partially constructed 30-story State Audit Office tower in the capital Bangkok, which was the only skyscraper to collapse during tremors caused by a massive 7.7 magnitude quake in neighboring Myanmar. The charges included building code violations that caused deaths, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, said deputy Bangkok police chief, Police Major General Somkuan Puengsap. Thai authorities are investigating the cause of the building collapse and have yet to release findings. It was one of the deadliest accidents of its kind in Thailand and seven people are still missing. An anti-corruption watchdog has said it had flagged to authorities irregularities in the construction of the skyscraper before it collapsed, while industry officials said initial tests of materials at the site indicated the presence of substandard steel. Those charged include executives and engineers from seven companies involved in the design, construction and building supervision of the collapsed tower, police said, without providing more named only one of the 17 wanted individuals, Premchai Karnasuta, a former president of Thailand's largest construction company Italian Thai Development Pcl Thai Development has held meetings with investors and has said it was cooperating with the could not be reached for comment on was convicted and sentenced to more than three years in jail in 2021 for poaching protected species after he was caught by rangers at a jungle campsite in a wildlife sanctuary with carcasses of protected animals, including a black Indochinese leopard. — Agencies
Euronews
16-05-2025
- Euronews
Thai tycoon and engineers charged in fatal Bangkok building collapse
A prominent Thai construction executive, along with engineers, designers and builders, surrendered to police on Friday to face criminal negligence charges linked to the fatal collapse of a high-rise in Bangkok caused by the 28 March earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar. Premchai Karnasuta, the president of Italian-Thai Development Co, was among 17 individuals charged with 'professional negligence causing death,' Bangkok Deputy Police Chief Noppasin Poonsawat announced at a press briefing. Noppasin confirmed that those who reported to the authorities on Friday formally denied the charges. Many of the accused had previously issued public denials following mounting scrutiny in Thai media. The collapse of the under-construction State Audit Office claimed 92 lives and left several individuals still unaccounted for. It was the only building in Thailand to collapse during the quake, which devastated parts of Myanmar and killed over 3,700 people. While rescue operations have concluded, DNA efforts to identify the remains will continue. Noppasin stated that expert analysis and evidence suggest the construction did not meet building codes or structural standards. According to the Bangkok Post, investigations revealed 'structural flaws in the core lift shaft and substandard concrete and steel.' Thai media have reported almost daily on alleged irregularities in the project, including dubious documentation and procedural lapses. Much attention has focused on Italian-Thai Development's joint venture with China Railway No 10, a Chinese firm involved in global infrastructure projects. Among those charged is Zhang Chuanling, a Chinese executive and director of the joint venture. Zhang was arrested last month on separate allegations of violating Thai business law by allegedly using Thai proxies to unlawfully control the venture. Three Thai nationals were also detained in relation to that charge. The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the 17 individuals on Thursday. Noppasin confirmed that 15 turned themselves in on Friday morning, with the remaining two expected to follow later in the day. This is not Premchai's first brush with the law. In 2019, he was convicted of poaching protected wildlife and served nearly three years in prison. He was found guilty after rangers discovered his party in a wildlife sanctuary with the carcasses of several rare animals, including a black panther whose meat had been cooked. The earthquake devastated large areas of central Myanmar, causing major damage in Mandalay and the capital Naypyitaw.
