Ex-Bangkok Governor Phichit acquitted of malfeasance by Supreme Court

13 Sept 14:52 Key points summarised by AI

The Supreme Court acquitted former Bangkok Governor Dr. Phichit Rattakul of malfeasance in a 1997 land procurement case.
This verdict overturned an Appeals Court's earlier guilty ruling and five-year prison sentence against Dr. Phichit.
However, the court upheld convictions for Dr. Phichit's former secretary and a district officer, sentencing them to five and seven years respectively.
The case involved an allegedly inflated 270 million baht land deal in Bang Sue for a parking lot, with claims of a 36 million baht overcharge and 18 million baht in commissions.

Suchada: Meet the reluctant star of Thailand’s cryptic crypto drama

Yesterday 15:38 Key points summarised by AI

Thai MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap faces intense scrutiny over her husband’s substantial 1.84 billion baht wealth, with opposition lawmakers alleging connections to international scam networks.
A significant portion of her husband, Taiyang Zhang's, declared assets includes a 1.44 billion baht loan to the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, which still owes him 1.34 billion baht.
Opposition MP Rangsiman Rome accused Suchada's husband of links to online scam networks and gambling sites, prompting Suchada to vehemently deny the claims, demand evidence, and file a defamation complaint.
Taiyang Zhang's background includes co-founding Ren Protocol, later sold to Alameda Research (linked to the FTX collapse), and some of his former associates have been convicted in crypto company failures.
Suchada, a former actress and first-time MP, maintains her husband's innocence, while her party leaders have distanced themselves from the allegations, deeming it a private matter.