BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thai police intensified a corruption investigation into former deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn, known as Big Joke, presenting a long-time confidant as a key witness in an alleged multimillion-baht gold bribery scheme.
Alleged gold bribe tied to anti-corruption case
At a press conference, representatives of the Anti-Corruption Division said they had strong evidence against the former deputy national police chief. The core allegation was that Surachate attempted on 1 September 2024 to bribe a member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) with gold bars worth more than 10 million baht, specifically 246 baht in gold weight, linked to files concerning his case. Investigators said the suspected bribery attempt was directly connected to an ongoing NACC proceeding and that the evidence formed a “clear and logical chain,” making the case ready for indictment.
CCTV, intermediaries and reports of intimidation
According to Police Major General Jaroonkiat Pankaew, deputy chief of the Crime Suppression Division, the case file relied on extensive material, including CCTV footage, audio recordings, photographs and testimony from officials and businesspeople. The materials had been checked and verified, and Surachate had reportedly acted rarely in person, instead allegedly using intermediaries, while many witnesses had come forward voluntarily. Several witnesses reported threats and assaults, including threats of violence, actual physical attacks and one witness who allegedly had a gun held to his head, with medical records said to support the reported injuries.
Former subordinate emerges as key witness
At the same briefing, police introduced Police Colonel Pakphum Phisamai, who had worked closely with Surachate for more than a decade as his subordinate and was now being treated as a key witness. Prosecutors had received extensive information from him that supported the structure of the case, and on 31 December he appeared publicly, saying he had decided to cooperate after long hesitation.
“I did this because of the lower-ranking officers who had to suffer,”
said Pakphum, who claimed some were pressured into false confessions, families were dragged into the conflict and video recordings were manipulated to portray uninvolved people as perpetrators.
Claims of long-term pressure and online attacks
Pakphum said he had faced pressure for around a decade and no longer wished to endure it, stating that he had personally witnessed assaults and now wanted to testify “in the interest of the truth,” despite expecting counterattacks. Shortly before he went public, individuals had allegedly tried to make contact with him, and after he broke off these approaches, hostile online campaigns appeared that also targeted his family, which he said did not surprise him. He had earlier written to former prime minister Srettha Thavisin seeking permission to resign from the police so he could defend himself as a private citizen, but a disciplinary case prevented this, and he was later dismissed from the force.
Respect for Big Joke but ‘truth must be separate’
Despite his statements, Pakphum stressed he still had respect for General Surachate and remained grateful for past support.
“Gratitude must, however, be separated from the truth,”
said the colonel, adding that he would withhold detailed information about the case for now to protect the safety of witnesses. He said investigators were collecting further statements and physical evidence and that the process was moving quickly despite ongoing attempts to discredit or intimidate witnesses.
Additional suspects and NACC procedures
Investigators said the case involved state officials who allegedly accepted benefits and an attempted bribery of NACC members. Summonses had been issued for three civilians, with two already acknowledging the allegations. Named suspects included Surachate Hakparn, Ekawit Wacharawalop, Samart Konkaew, Sorapong Wongsuwan and Surasit Paekerd, while officials in independent constitutional bodies would face a different legal route via NACC submissions that could be forwarded to the parliamentary speaker or the president of the Supreme Court to consider appointing an independent inquiry panel.
Disputed testimony in Surat Thani
In Surat Thani province, accused former gardener Surasit Paekerd, who once worked for NACC member Ekawit, said local investigators had forced him to sign a false statement. He maintained he had never had contact with Surachate and had not worked for the NACC for more than two years, while Ekawit himself had filed a complaint after rejecting what he said were false accusations against him. Investigators responded by pointing to intimidation and evidence destruction around the case, saying witnesses reported harassment and targeted pressure that complicated but did not halt the inquiry.
Probe widens to media campaigns and gambling site
Police said their investigation went beyond the alleged gold transfer and now also focused on a university professor, a social media specialist who had allegedly worked as Surachate’s PR adviser. Officers were examining suspected information campaigns against opponents and possible legal violations, with further action to follow if suspicions were confirmed. In parallel, a separate case involving an online gambling portal was under way, which Pakphum said was not linked to the gold allegations, adding that investigations into the gambling complex could continue for at least another two months.
Big Joke rejects accusations, cites campaign against him
General Surachate rejected all allegations, portraying himself as a long-time anti-corruption figure now facing irregularities in the proceedings and a campaign against him since 2023. He claimed the initial goal was to block his appointment as National Police Commissioner, a post he said he had been close to securing in 2023, and that there was later an effort to remove him entirely from the force. Publicly, he continued to present himself as someone fighting misconduct within the police, while the Police Complaints Review Board separately revived criminal cases in late October against around 200 officers, including ex-police chief General Torsak Sukwimol, cases that police stressed were independent of the alleged gold bribe.
Police promise equal treatment and January briefing
Police Major General Jaroonkiat repeatedly insisted the Royal Thai Police treated all parties equally, whether ordinary citizens or senior officials.
“There is no harassment of citizens or high-ranking officials,”
said Jaroonkiat, adding that the law would be applied without special treatment. He announced a major briefing for 5 January, when senior officers planned to present further details from what he described as a comprehensive and detailed case file built on CCTV images, audio recordings, photos, documents and medical records.
High-stakes case for police and anti-graft watchdog
Pakphum said he believed
“the truth will become visible,”
as investigators continued to gather evidence despite efforts to intimidate or discredit witnesses. The Royal Thai Police said they would provide additional insight on 5 January. The alleged gold bribery case remained a central issue for the police, the NACC and the senior officials drawn into the widening scandal.