In a twist of the script, the number two of the Thai police in charge of the Daniel Sancho case went yesterday from investigator to investigated. The home of the super cop known as Big Joke and five adjoining houses owned by him were searched by cyber crime squad officers armed to the teeth. The investigations for alleged corruption would have to do with bribes given by online bookmakers, in a country where gambling has been banned for almost a century.
Surachate Hakparn, alias Big Joke, landed in August on the island of Phangan to take over the investigation of the dismemberment of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, as he usually does in various media cases. Big Joke has given press conferences and even interviews on Spanish television, in which he has considered the guilt of the confessed murderer, Daniel Sancho, proven, and in which he has warned him that retracting it would only make the situation worse.
The raid on Surachate’s residence, in Bangkok, would look for evidence of the alleged bribe of about 140 million baht (3.65 million euros) from an online betting house, according to public television. The searches would have been extended to a minimum of six sites in other provinces, with the result of eleven arrests – two of police officers close to Big Joke – and requisitioning of documents.
There is currently no arrest warrant against Surachate, but there is an arrest warrant against 30 of his subordinates for allegedly taking bribes from illegal gambling magnate Pongsiri Thanratchawongsu. This mobster, known by the alias Boss Than and arrested three months ago, had also chaired the Lamphun Warriors football club to launder money.
The media agent, number two of the corps, is free for the moment. Big Joke stated that he is not upset, because he does not aspire to be the head of the Royal Thai Police, implying that this is a warning from above and that he has received the message. It coincides that the Prime Minister must elect a new man for the position this Wednesday, since the current one retires on October 1. Surachate-Big Joke also said that if the subordinates have done something bad, he won’t tiptoe over it, but he has full confidence in them.
When the officers arrived yesterday morning with search warrants, Big Joke tried to prevent them from entering the house, alleging that he was number two of the police and that it was his home. The situation was resolved when the head of the body came in person to inform Big Joke about the reasons for the intervention.
In the last decade, Big Joke had a run-in with the military leadership that held power – today the guardianship – following his allegations about the allegedly irregular acquisition of biometric identification equipment. The super cop was sacked and his vehicle was mysteriously shot at, before being surprisingly rehabilitated by General Prayut.
“The cyber police are doing their job and we are cooperating,” he admitted. “The fact that evidence is being sought even at the home of number two of the police force shows our transparency. They won’t find anything,” he added.
