Thai Police Implicate Two Officials in National Lottery Scam by Phairath Khampha 27 January 2002 The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) on January 7, 2002 singled out two senior Government Lottery Office officials for having acted suspiciously in connection with the June 1, 2001 lottery draw, and requested they be subjected to an anti-graft investigation. Under the anti-graft law, the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) was empowered to investigate the two officials, Uthen Jensraku and Yongyuth Malithong, using evidence compiled in the CSD report as a starting point. The CSD submitted its report to the commission following a morning meeting on January 7 to wrap up the case. It earlier said that it had found that a network of underground lottery racketeers and punters had fixed the results of the draw. The fixing was meant to benefit the underground lottery rather than buyers of the tickets. CSD commander Maj General Surasit Sangkhapong said police believed that Uthen and Yongyuth had failed in their duty to duly safeguard the equipment used and the draw itself from being tampered with. Uthen and Yongyuth were in charge of the lottery draw and equipment, respectively. The CSD cited criminal and work-related violations as the reason for the NCCC investigation. The two were accused of assisting underground lottery organisers to defraud the public, as well as failing to uphold their official duties. Narong set to retain all his assets - Public swindling charge dropped The mastermind behind the rigging of the June 1 lottery first-prize, Narong Oonpaet, might escape the impounding of his assets. After many discussions and bargaining, presumably for a share of the ill-gotten gains, prosecutors decided to drop charges against him of conspiring to swindle the public, which could have resulted in his assets being seized. Mr Narong, alias Klom Bangkruay, was indicted with conspiring to swindle and with illegal assembly, but spared a charge of collusion to defraud the public. A prosecution source said the Money Laundering Commission might eventually have to lift an order imposed on Mr Narong and other accomplices for the seizure of their assets, depending on how they "cooperated". Mr Narong was arrested for masterminding the rigging of the first prize in the June 1 lottery draw. Assets believed bought with the winnings were ordered impounded.