Former deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn has presented detailed evidence to a Thai parliamentary committee, alleging that more than 30 police officers, including members of a taskforce specifically created to combat online gambling, received money transfers directly from online gambling syndicates.
Surachate testified for nearly three hours before the House Committee on State Security, Border Affairs, National Strategies and Reforms, chaired by MP Rangsiman Rome.
The core of his submission consists of documents detailing money transfers into the bank accounts of serving officers. Surachate revealed that this same evidence had been sent to the current national police chief, Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet, in August 2024, but no action was taken, prompting him to seek parliamentary intervention to ensure transparency.
He further alleged that a high-ranking police general, identified only by the initial “T,” had financial records showing transactions routed to the accounts of the general’s wife, brother, and sister.
These accusations suggest deep-seated, systemic corruption, particularly among officers assigned to the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT), the unit tasked with enforcing online gambling laws.
Surachate, who was dismissed from the force earlier in the year, emphasized that he was acting strictly as a private citizen to exercise his right to report corruption.
He strongly refuted accusations that he was attempting to attack the entire police institution, clarifying that his earlier statement describing the police as “the biggest criminal organisation” referred only to a small, specific group of corrupt officials, not the country’s entire 200,000-strong police force.
He concluded by accusing the national police chief, Pol Gen Kitrat, of attempting to isolate him within the police community following his initial public comments.
Surachate firmly reaffirmed that his sole motive for providing the evidence to Parliament was to expose serious wrongdoing and demand accountability, rather than discrediting law enforcement as a whole.
The parliamentary committee is now tasked with tracing the financial flows, summoning implicated officers, and investigating potential associated political connections to address the systemic issues highlighted by the former deputy chief.
