BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): Former Democrat Party deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi was on Thursday (May 5) released on bail and slapped with a travel ban after he reported to police to face another charge of allegedly molesting a minor.
The court approved the bail for Prinn after demanding assets worth Bt200,000 as a guarantee.
The Criminal Court made the decision in a teleconference with Huai Khwang Police Station at 2.50pm after Prinn reported at the police station at 8.50am.
Police investigators made the teleconference call to the court to seek Prinn’s temporary detention pending more investigation in the case.
Police investigators had earlier summoned Prinn to hear charges at the station on Thursday. He was charged with taking a minor from her parents and committing sexual misconduct on a person under the age of 18.
According to the victim’s allegations, Prinn molested her while they were riding a chauffeur-driven van to a subway station in 2019. He allegedly talked to her in English to avoid eavesdropping by the chauffer and asked her about her sex life and allegedly tried to molest her.
Prinn went straight to meet the team of investigators in charge of the case without speaking to reporters.
After he was released on bail, Prinn left the police station without talking to the media.
Earlier, Prinn faced charges in three other cases at Lumpini Police Station. The court granted him bail but slapped a travel ban on him.
Prinn has also been charged in Chiang Mai and has been released on bail.
The number of cases against him was still confusing. On April 28, Pol Maj-General Trairong Phiewphan, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said 15 women have filed complaints against him but some of the cases could not be pursued as their statute of limitations had expired.
Investigators at Lumpini Police Station said they were gathering evidence to summon Prinn to face charges.
On Thursday morning, Trairong came to Huai Khwang Police Station to interrogate Prinn.
Trairong said the suspect has the right to file complaints against the accusers and police will gather evidence of both sides and send investigation reports to public prosecutors to decide on whether to arraign them in court.
He said police have so far not received any evidence that would indicate the cases were an attempt to discredit the Democrat Party as some Democrats reportedly claimed.
The deputy Metropolitan Police chief said the five cases being investigated by the Lumpini Police Station cannot be clubbed together into one case because the alleged incidents happened in different places and at different times.
