Police have charged a senior executive of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) over a fatal drunk-driving crash that killed a delivery rider in Nonthaburi on Wednesday night.
A friend who allegedly tried to falsely claim responsibility for the crash may also face legal action, police said on Friday.
Jarong Krohmo, 52, director of the Bureau of Investigation and Special Affairs at the anti-graft agency, surrendered to police on Friday morning to acknowledge the charges and undergo questioning.
Police said Mr Jarong admitted from the outset that he had been driving the black Mitsubishi pickup truck that struck and killed 43-year-old delivery rider Sornnarin Nakhongsi on the Bang Rak Noi flyover in Muang district.
Investigators already had sufficient evidence to proceed with legal action, said Pol Maj Gen Atthapol Anusit, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 1.
Forensic officers found a liquor bottle inside the pickup truck. Investigators later questioned restaurant staff, who confirmed Mr Jarong had consumed three bottles of wine while dining with a friend at a restaurant on Ratchaphruek Road from late afternoon until shortly before the crash around 11pm.
Mr Jarong’s breathalyser test recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 189 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood, far beyond the legal limit for driving at 50mg.
Police said a friend identified as Thamrong later attempted to falsely claim he had been driving the vehicle. Authorities said he repeated the claim during questioning and may face legal action for providing false statements to investigators.
Responding to public concern about why the suspect had initially been released despite exceeding the legal alcohol limit, police said investigators first needed to verify the facts and gather evidence before proceeding.
They insisted the case would be handled transparently and rejected concerns that Mr Jarong’s senior position at the NACC could influence the investigation.
Investigators are also looking into why the pickup truck was found about one kilometre from the crash scene.
Mr Jarong has been charged with reckless driving causing death, driving under the influence of alcohol, and failing to stop and provide assistance after the crash. (Story continues below)
Assault at funeral
Tensions ran high later in the day when Mr Jarong went to Wat Thung Khru in Bangkok, where he intended to pay his respects to the deceased and apologise to his family.
Shortly after he arrived at the temple around 4.30pm, a friend of the deceased punched Mr Jarong in the face as he approached the coffin carrying a tray of incense and candles to ask for forgiveness.
Mr Jarong had arrived at the temple with his wife and lawyer, and was carrying a ceremonial tray of incense and candles when he was suddenly attacked.
The punch left the NACC official with a split lip and blood streaming from his mouth, sparking chaos at the funeral hall as relatives rushed in to stop the confrontation.
His lawyer intervened and urged the attacker to stop, while Mr Jarong, and bleeding from the mouth, used a cloth to stanch the bleeding. The situation was eventually brought under control before it escalated further.
According to local media reports, the relatives of the deceased had spoken with the friend earlier, requesting that he resort to any violence. They also apologised to Mr Jarong for what happened.
Despite the incident, Mr Jarong proceeded to kneel before the rider’s coffin to seek forgiveness. He later told reporters that he held no grudge against the attacker.
He added that arrangements would be made to meet the deceased rider’s two children at a police station to formally record details of assistance to be provided to the family.
Mr Jarong later spoke with the rider’s son, who asked for help with instalment payments on a plot of land in Suphan Buri province, saying it had been his father’s dream to own it outright.
Mr Jarong promised that financial assistance and compensation would be provided. He also handed initial relief funds to the victim’s elder sister and apologised to the rider’s two children, pledging to support their education until graduation.
