BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s Supreme Administrative Court upheld the dismissal of ex-deputy police chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, as a parallel gold bribery case widened into a struggle between police, anti-graft officials and parliament.
Top court closes door on return to police
The Supreme Administrative Court ruled on Friday that the dismissal order against former Pol.-Gen. Surachate Hakparn was lawful, rejecting his bid to be reinstated to the Royal Thai Police. He had sued the national police chief, the police career commission and the prime minister in an attempt to overturn his removal from active duty.
The judges denied his request to return to the force, effectively ending his career in uniform.
“The resolution was in accordance with the law,”
said the court in a brief statement.
From suspension to dismissal over gambling probe
Surachate had been suspended on 18 April 2024 over investigations into alleged serious disciplinary violations. In June 2024, the 12-member police commission chaired by former prime minister Srettha Thavisin voted unanimously for his dismissal.
The main allegation concerned his suspected involvement in the online gambling network “BNKMaster”, with conspiracy to commit money laundering among the accusations. The final court ruling marked what observers described as the end of an era for the once high-profile media figure and feared investigator.
Gold bribery file handed to anti-graft commission
Separately from the dismissal case, Surachate became entangled in an alleged bribery affair centred on gold worth more than 10 million baht. Early in the week, Pol.-Maj.-Gen. Jaroonkiat Pankaew from the Anti-Corruption Police submitted an investigation file to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
At issue was the claim that on 1 September of the previous year, 246 baht-weight of gold had allegedly been offered as a bribe to a serving NACC commissioner, named as Ekawit Watchawakku. Both Ekawit and Surachate denied the allegations, while the NACC still had to decide whether to pursue the case itself or return the file to the police.
Defence lawyer pushes NACC to keep the case
On 7 January 2026, Surachate’s lawyer Sanyapat Samart lodged an objection at the NACC office against any move to send the file back to the police, citing Section 61 (2) of the organic anti-corruption law (B.E. 2561). He urged that the NACC should continue the proceedings itself.
Sanyapat raised four main concerns about the police investigation: the legal admissibility of certain evidence, possible inducements or pressure on witnesses, the lack of charges against Pol.-Col. Pakphum Phismai, who said he had handed over the gold, and alleged conflicts of interest among investigators. He also criticised a police press conference on 6 January, saying protected information had been displayed and referencing Articles 36 and 37 of the anti-corruption law, clause 6 of NACC inquiry rules and Article 164 of the Criminal Code.
Defence insists on innocence and fair process
Sanyapat stressed his client remained in the country and would not abscond.
“Pol.-Gen. Surachate rejects all allegations and insists on his innocence,”
said the lawyer, adding that the sole aim of the defence was to ensure evidence and procedures were lawful.
He argued that returning the file to the police would undermine due process.
“The return of the file would set the proceedings back and undermine fairness,”
said Sanyapat, who stated that the correct route should run via the NACC, the public prosecutor and the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court for holders of political positions.
Former allies turn against ‘Big Joke’
The gold affair gained added weight because two of Surachate’s former close aides, Pol.-Col. Pakphum Phismai and his younger brother Pol.-Col. Khemarin Phismai, publicly broke with their ex-superior. Media had long portrayed them as loyal supporters.
They accused Surachate of brutality towards subordinates and referred to his accusations in March 2024 against then police chief Gen. Torsak Sukwimol. In October, the Police Complaints Review Board partly backed Surachate’s earlier claims and recommended charges against around 200 senior officers, including Torsak.
Senate asked to examine NACC commissioner
On Wednesday, Pakphum took the dispute to parliament by submitting a letter at 4 p.m. to Senate President Mongkol Surasajja, formally filed via Senator Phisit Apinyapong. The letter asked parliament to refer the matter to the President of the Supreme Court to consider legal action against NACC commissioner Ekawit over the alleged acceptance of the gold.
Senator Phisit said the document would be circulated to all 200 senators. Under Article 236 of the constitution, signatures from at least one-fifth of members – a minimum of 40 senators – would be required before the Supreme Court president could set up an inquiry panel into possible misconduct by an NACC commissioner.
Pakphum details rift and gold affair
Pakphum said he had submitted extensive documents and physical evidence related to the gold case, claiming responsibility for the alleged bribe had been shifted onto him with the threat of severe penalties. He cited a press conference on 19 March 2024 about the BNK gambling website, involving 38 million baht and a former police chief, as a turning point.
That event, organised by Surachate and his lawyers, had triggered a prolonged crisis with the Royal Thai Police, he said. Pakphum and his brother disagreed with the move because no evidence had been presented, and he recounted instances in which blame was pushed down the hierarchy and subordinates were sometimes physically mistreated.
Claims of pressure over video at ex-speaker’s home
Pakphum further described pressure connected to a video said to have been recorded at the home of former parliamentary speaker Wan Muhammad Nor Matha. He claimed he had been urged to admit to being the author of the video, allegedly to put pressure on NACC chairman Suchart Trakulkesemsook.
This had particularly angered his father and ultimately led to a definitive break with Surachate, Pakphum said. He stated he had initially respected Surachate’s work but changed his view after observing conduct that went beyond official duties and conflicted with his own principles.
Hidden chains of command and return of the gold
Referring to remarks by Pol.-Maj.-Gen. Jaroonkiat, Pakphum said senior officers often acted through subordinates and obscured financial flows, making direct proof difficult and concealment part of the system. On the gold case, he stated there had been an attempt to return the gold using an intermediary because he and Ekawit did not know each other.
The interaction was reportedly captured on video. Pakphum said he had initially refused to accept the gold and was later pressed to assume ownership to facilitate its return; he declined because it was not his property and acceptance would have implied false ownership. He maintained he repeatedly refused offers, including to keep the gold, before it was ultimately returned by others.
Calls for separate tracks and public oversight
Despite his accusations, Pakphum said he supported the idea of Surachate returning to the police service without lingering doubts, while insisting the bribery case should proceed independently. He pointed to the respective roles of the NACC, prosecutors, courts and police and underlined the importance of transparency and public scrutiny.
He acknowledged that the reaction to his disclosures had been stronger than expected and that he could himself become a suspect, which he said he would accept. He rejected the notion of “betrayal” of superiors, saying he still respected some but had acted in the interest of institutions and the public.
Disputed allegations and unresolved investigations
Pakphum recalled that Ekawit had initially been the target of alleged video-based extortion before he himself was drawn into what he described as a staged gold handover. Whether this amounted to betrayal, he said, depended on perspective.
Ekawit denied any involvement in a bribery scheme and rejected wrongdoing towards the anti-corruption police. Surachate, for his part, attacked the investigations as a whole, criticising the way evidence had been obtained and the methods used by the police anti-corruption unit.
Future clouded by criminal cases and politics
The gold case file remained with the NACC, which had yet to decide on further steps, even as the Supreme Administrative Court ruling closed off Surachate’s way back into the police. For the 55-year-old, only the criminal proceedings – including money laundering and bribery allegations – now remained.
His political ambitions, voiced after his removal from the force, were heavily damaged by the ongoing probes. The man once known for high-profile pursuits of criminals had himself become the pursued, and his nickname “Big Joke” took on a bitterly ironic tone.