The Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced former Department of Special Investigation (DSI) director-general Tarit Pengdith to one year in jail in a case in which he unfairly transferred a senior DSI official in 2012.
Another defendant, Chanchao Chaiyanukij, the deputy permanent secretary for justice, was acquitted.
The case was filed by Col Piyawat Kingkate, former director of the DSI's Bureau of Intellectual Property Crime in October 2012. He accused Tarit and Mr Chanchao of unfairly transferring him to a special post, which was seen as a demotion.
According to him, Tarit was obliged to propose his transfer to the special case committee for consideration first and that such a transfer needed to be agreed by him.
Col Piyawat said Tarit, however, forwarded the transfer request to Mr Chanchao straight away for approval, claiming he was facing a disciplinary probe and was the subject of an investigation by a committee and the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Mr Chanchao later signed the transfer order.
The transfer, according to the court, went ahead without following procedure and Col Piyawat was moved to a lower position, which means this was a personal issue rather than an issue involving civil service interests.
Tarit was originally sentenced to two years in jail in August 2015, and then two years in prison, suspended for two years, by the Appeal Court in March 2017.
The Supreme Court said the two-year sentence handed by the court in the first instance was "too harsh" and sentenced him to one year in prison instead.
