A participant in the Nov. 2011 robbery of Transport Ministry permanent secretary Supoj Saplom’s home has testified about the crime, saying that it was “well planned.”
In a statement to the Criminal Court on Monday, Singthong Jaichomchuen laid out how he and his gang of six burglars had meticulously cased Supoj’s house and even called off several would-be robberies, stating that they were too risky.
When the robbers finally did attack Supoj’s home (on Nov. 12, 2011, while Supoj was at his daughter’s wedding), they discovered a controversial treasure trove.
Though they made away with only THB18 million, Singthong reported that the house contained nearly THB1 billion in loot, causing the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to launch an investigation into Supoj’s ill-gotten gains.
Ironically, Supoj now stands to lose much more to the government than to the robbers themselves. As a result of the NACC investigation, the Office of the Attorney General has been asked to confiscate THB65 million of Supoj’s assets.
The Bangkok Post reports that Supoj has been transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office, pending the investigation’s conclusion.
