Urgent! Court Sentences Two NACC Officials to Three Years Prison in Watch-Concealment Case Involving Prayut
An Anti-Corruption Court sentenced two NACC officials to three years in prison for conspiring to conceal documents about luxury watches owned by former Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, despite court orders demanding disclosure.
On May 27, 2025, the Anti-Corruption Court heard its verdict in a case filed by Weerawat Somkhwamkit, secretary-general of the People Network Against Corruption, against 12 NACC administrators and commissioners. The case alleged that defendants conspired to conceal documents related to luxury watches owned by General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The plaintiff, described as a human rights activist and chairman of the People Network Against Corruption, accused the defendants of dereliction of duty spanning from August 22, 2019, to May 23, 2024.
The charges included:
1. Eight defendants allegedly failed in their duties by refusing to provide requested information about General Prayut's luxury watch collection despite an administrative court ruling and a data disclosure committee decision ordering disclosure of three categories of documents: (1) fact-finding and evidence compilation reports, (2) opinions of all responsible NACC officials, and (3) relevant NACC meeting minutes.
2. Six defendants allegedly violated an administrative court judgment by refusing to disclose the three categories of documents as determined by the data disclosure committee.
3. Seven defendants allegedly violated a central administrative court order requiring the NACC to comply with the supreme administrative court ruling (case No. 224/2566) regarding disclosure of luxury watch and diamond ring information.
4. Seven defendants allegedly failed to comply with the central administrative court order, resulting in the court imposing 5,000-baht fines on both the NACC office and the NACC commissioners.
The court found that all 12 defendants acted in conspiracy to conceal information related to the improper concealment of assets in General Prayut's wealth declaration, despite the data disclosure committee's ruling ordering disclosure.
