Renowned Russian pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev, charged with allegedly raping an underaged boy in Pattaya, has returned to Thailand for a preliminary court hearing today, according to the spokeswoman of the national orchestra to which he belongs.
Russian news agency Interfax quoted Svetlana Shaplygina as saying that Pletnev had returned on Saturday to Thailand following a concert tour. It remains to be seen whether he will show up today at the Pattaya court for a preliminary hearing, which will consider his request for another 12day period of release.
Pol LtColonel Omsin Sukkarnkha, chief of the Pattaya police's child protection squad, said an initial analysis suggested that Pletnev would show up at the court in Chon Buri. "Otherwise it could suggest that he is guilty in the child rape case," the officer commented.
Pletnev was charged with child rape on July 5. The court released him on July 6 for 12 days, and he left Thailand on July 8 for a concert tour to Europe.
The spokeswoman said Pletnev was scheduled to go on his next concert tour in August.
If he does not show up in court, an arrest warrant will be issued for him and the Bt300,000 he paid as bail guarantee will be seized, said Pol LtColonel Kreetha Tankhanarat, another child protection officer.