Ratchaburi: The Ratchaburi Provincial Court sentenced former Ratchaburi MP Pareena Kraikupt to prison for encroaching on Ratchaburi forest land. Her lawyer posted 1 million baht as bail, which the court granted.
According to Thai News Agency, the court scheduled a reading of the verdict in the case of Ms. Pareena Kraikupt, former Palang Pracharath Party MP for Ratchaburi, for occupying state land in Village No. 6, Rang Bua Subdistrict, Chom Bueng District, Ratchaburi Province. This case has drawn public attention. Mr. Weera Somkwamkit, Secretary-General of the People's Network Against Corruption, had previously visited the Ratchaburi Provincial Prosecutor's Office to inquire about the progress of the case on August 27, 2021.
The case originates from 2019, when Mr. Wira Somkwamkit filed a complaint against Ms. Pareena and related government officials at Chom Bueng Police Station. The complaint alleges that Ms. Pareena possessed over 1,706 rai of land in a national forest reserve and ALRO land. The case was prosecuted for encroachment on a national forest reserve. The investigation took several years, and the prosecutor filed the case with the Ratchaburi Provincial Court in late 2023. Today, the Ratchaburi Provincial Court scheduled a verdict reading.
The court sentenced Ms. Pareena to four years and one month in prison without suspension for possessing over 1,706 rai of national forest reserve and ALRO land. Ms. Pareena's lawyer subsequently filed a petition with one million baht in cash as security for bail, which the court granted without conditions.