BKK Post, March 21, 1998. SALWEEN S

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March 21, 1998. SALWEEN SCANDAL

Tycoon surrenders to face bribe charge

Logging tycoon Vinai Panichayanuban yesterday turned himself in to face 
a bribery charge after the Interior Ministry approved a warrant for his 
arrest.

Mr Vinai, accompanied by his lawyers, was questioned for about four 
hours at the Crime Suppression Division's Counter Corruption Office 
yesterday. He denied all charges, saying he would fight the case in 
court.

The tycoon has been accused of giving a bribe of five million baht to 
Forestry Department deputy chief Prawat Thanadkha.

The cash was hand-delivered in a cardboard box to Mr Prawat's home. Mr 
Prawat later offered to donate the money to the Thai-Help-Thai Fund, 
triggering off what became known as the Salween logging scandal.

But Mr Prawat's wife Juree yesterday could not confirm to the police 
that Mr Vinai and the man who delivered the cash were the same person.

Suthas Iamong, an employee of Bank of Ayudhya's Bang Khen branch, also 
could not identify Mr Vinai as the man who had withdrawn five million 
baht from the bank.

If found guilty, Mr Vinai could get one year in jail or a fine of 2,000 
baht, or both.

Police investigators earlier claimed to have found Mr Vinai's 
fingerprints on the bank notes delivered to Mr Prawat, and to have 
witnesses who could testify against Mr Vinai and Mr Prawat in court.

Pramarn Ruengwattanavanich, managing director of a law firm representing 
Mr Vinai, said yesterday that his client had nothing to do with bribery 
and that the five million baht did not belong to Mr Vinai.

He also denied a report about Mr Vinai's confession and blamed the press 
for his client's trouble.

Mr Pramarn insisted the 13,000 logs found at Saha Vanakij Sawmill Co, 
owned by Mr Vinai, in Tak were legally documented.

Meanwhile, Pol Maj-Gen Vasana Permlarp, chief investigator in the case, 
said yesterday Mr Prawat was expected to turn himself in to face a 
bribery charge on March 24.

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