KANCHANABURI: A Thai tycoon accused of killing a black leopard was sentenced to 16 months in jail on other poaching-related charges on Tuesday but allowed to go free pending an appeal, in a case that has caused an outcry in a country fed up with impunity for powerful figures.
Construction magnate Premchai Karnasuta, whose company is behind major infrastructure projects such as Bangkok’s monorail and its airport, was arrested by rangers in a national park in February 2018.
He and three others were detained after rangers stumbled upon their campsite and found guns and animal carcasses, including a Kalij pheasant, a red muntjac — or barking deer — and the pelt of a black leopard.
While Premchai was found not guilty of possessing a leopard carcass, he was convicted of three other poaching-related charges.
The verdict, handed out in a statement to reporters waiting at the Thong Pha Phum courthouse, said Premchai was “sentenced altogether to 16 months”.
Two others caught with him — his driver and cook — received lesser sentences, while his hunting guide was sentenced to three years and five months.
A court official said the tycoon was immediately released on bail of 400,000 Thai baht as he was not considered a flight risk.
Although Premchai was listed as one of Thailand’s 50 richest people by Forbes in 2016, he dropped off the list the following year as the government delayed infrastructure spending.
“I’m sorry,” Premchai said to reporters before getting in a car.
— AFP
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