The Criminal Court on Thursday approved arrest warrants for 17 people, including construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta, in connection with the collapse of the 2.1-billion-baht State Audit Office building in Bangkok.
The collapse was triggered by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in central Myanmar on March 28.
Premchai, 71, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, and the other 16 suspects face charges for professional negligence causing death.
The suspects include engineers, supervisors and contractors from three groups: design firms (Forum Architect, Meinhardt Thailand), construction supervisory firms and the ITD-CREC joint venture (Italian-Thai Development Plc and China Railway No.10 Thailand).
Police investigators found that the building’s design violated safety standards, with structural flaws in the core lift shaft and substandard concrete and steel.
The collapse of the 30-storey building resulted in 92 deaths, nine injuries and four missing persons.
On Tuesday, the investigation team sought approval from the Criminal Court to arrest the 17 suspects.
In December 2021, the Supreme Court sentenced Premchai to a prison term of three years and two months for hunting in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in February 2018.
