Thai billionaire accused of poaching endangered panther goes on trial
28 November 2018
Reva Ganesan

The trial of a Thai billionaire who was accused of poaching an endangered black panther has begun after a series of delays.

Premchai Karnasuta, president of one of Thailand's biggest construction companies, appeared at the Kanchanaburi Provincial Court on Tuesday for the first hearing of his case.

The 64-year-old was arrested in February after forest rangers found him and three other employees setting up a camp at the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary.
Officials found them in possession of guns, along with carcasses of an endangered black panther and other animals.

Shortly after his arrest, Premchai was granted bail after he argued that he did not kill the panther.

Outside court, wildlife activists wore masks of the slain big cat to protest against illegal animal poaching.

A court statement revealed that Tuesday's hearing was to hear testimony from three prosecution witnesses, including a deputy police chief and the forest ranger who caught the group red-handed.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world/th ... spartandhp

This billionaire guy will be found innocent because his staff killed the animals and he was trying to stop them. He will eventually be given a medal.

I realize this is old, but it still interests me partly because there are no updates.

Apparently he was originally sentenced to 16 months in jail. Posted bail and an appeal. He was then sentenced to 1 year, not for the killing of animals in a protected forest, but for trying to bribe officials 3 days after his arrest.

picture of the cat he killed


picture of the cat skinned out



during the meal, he ate the legs and then tossed the bones


In the end, Premchai was acquitted of the charges accept for illegal firearms charges from what they found in his home during a raid. He asked to pay a 3 million baht fine, spend 15 days to earn merit for those he had wronged, and never own a firearm again. but the court declined his offer.

Thai billionaire? Even more endangered than the panther

Thailand's Supreme Court has sentenced a construction tycoon to three years and two months jail over a poaching incident in a wildlife sanctuary in 2018 where a rare black leopard was shot and cooked over a campfire

Premchai Karnasuta is president of Italian-Thai Development PLC, one of the country's biggest construction empires.
The company has been involved in mega-projects, including building the Suvarnabhumi international airport and Bangkok's mass transit Skytrain system..

The poaching incident in February 2018 caused widespread outrage.

Mr Premchai was arrested at night at a campsite deep within the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed for its rare flora and fauna.
Park rangers found guns and the carcasses of a number of animals nearby, including a black panther.
The panther had been butchered and its meat cooked up for soup.

Mr Premchai was convicted on several charges including poaching and carrying weapons without a permit.
Two men arrested with him – a driver and a hunter – also received prison sentences and fines.
In addition to his prison sentence, he was ordered to pay a share of a 2 million baht ($AU83,630) fine.

The 66-year-old heard the verdict at a court in the western province of Kanchanaburi on Wednesday.
He arrived wearing a bandage over one eye and was later taken directly to begin his sentence at a nearby prison, court staff said

One black eye for one black leopard.
I thought i was very lenient with my part of the sentencing.