Jail for ex-mayor
The Chiang Mai Provincial Court yesterday handed down a jail term to a former deputy mayor of Chiang Mai Municipality and two accomplices for illegally issuing Thai identification cards to a Chinese couple.
The couple were known as Sook Tajong and Nipa Somjai. Sook had fled China after swindling the central bank there out of more than Bt1 billion. The couple underwent surgery, hid in Thailand and used their wealth to obtain the ID cards. Sook had bought luxury estates in Chiang Mai and embarked on a political career when he was caught in 2000. Following his arrest, Sook implicated many people, including Poonsawas Worawan, the deputy mayor of Chiang Mai, Pitak Tantisak, a municipality board member, and businessman Prasit Jiamjit. The court yesterday sentenced Poonsawas to eight years and six months in jail, Pitak to 12 years and six months in jail, and Prasit to eight years and six months. Poonsawas and Pitak said they would appeal the verdict.
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