Police are close to wrapping up their probe against 11 suspects in the case involving former teacher Jomsap Saenmuangkhot's bid for a retrial of her conviction for a fatal hit-and-run.
Nakhon Phanom police yesterday began forwarding investigation files to public prosecutors to indict the 11 suspects in the scapegoat scandal, starting with the first two suspects.
Files of completed investigations conducted against Sap Wapee, an alleged hired scapegoat, and his wife, Jan, were yesterday submitted to prosecutors, while those of the other nine suspects have yet to be concluded, a source said.
The nine other suspects are Jomsap; Niran, her husband; Suriya Nualcharoen, Saneh Suphan and Rotjana Chantharat, all Jomsap's friends; Thatsanee Hanphayak and Thongret Wongsricha, both witnesses in the retrial bid; Watsana Phetthong, who is Jomsap's nephew; and Thanat Suktalodpee, her lawyer.
"As for those nine suspects, investigators are speeding up their work and they expect to forward the remaining cases to Nakhon Phanom provincial prosecutors by the end of this month," said Pol Lt Gen Surachai Khwantechakhup, chief of Provincial Police Region 4.
All 11 have been charged with providing false information to investigators and false testimony in court as well as being involved with a criminal association, said another source, adding that Mr Thanat faces an additional charge of fabricating false evidence for the retrial.
A total of 13 civilians have been summoned for questioning in connection with the rejected request for a retrial, but two of them have been secluded as witnesses in the case, the same source said.
The two treated as witnesses are Lert Wapee and Boontheng Wapee, the source said.
Jomsap and Mr Suriya are now in the second period of detention, at Nakhon Phanom Central Prison, awaiting trial after the court denied bail. The others were temporarily freed.
Police said legal action has now been brought against all the suspects in the alleged scapegoating. No additional arrest warrants have been issued.
The investigation was launched after a man admitted to police he was paid to say he, not Jomsap, was driving a pickup involved in an accident in 2005, in which a cyclist was killed.
Jomsap spent 18 months in jail for driving the pickup that struck and killed the elderly cyclist.
She was released by royal pardon and subsequently sought a retrial claiming another man was behind the wheel at the time.
The Supreme Court recently rejected her retrial bid citing a lack of evidence.
On Thursday, a police-fact finding panel set up by Provincial Police Region 4, which oversees the Northeast, also accused 14 officials of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) of dereliction of duty in connection with the case.
Pol Maj Gen Thanasak said they were accused of acting recklessly for failing to inform the DSI and the Justice Ministry of irregularities during the gathering of evidence to submit to court in support of the case for a retrial. Their acts were considered dereliction of duty.
