BANGKOK (Reuters) - The president of Italian-Thai Development Pcl, Thailand's largest construction company, and three others were charged with poaching and trespassing in a wildlife sanctuary, police said on Tuesday.
Premchai Karnasuta, president of the construction firm, and the three others were arrested at the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand's western Kanchanaburi province on Sunday, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
The four have denied the accusations, the deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, Krissana Pattanacharoen, said.
Italian-Thai Development did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters could not immediately make contact with Premchai's lawyer to seek comment.
Poaching carries a maximum jail sentence of five years.
The company's share price fell 3.6 percent in a broader market that fell 1.2 percent.
(Reporting Pracha Hariraksapitak, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Aukkarapon Niyomat; Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng, Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Neil Fullick)
