Arrest warrants issued for 17 suspects in connection with Bangkok’s State Audit Office building collapse case
Arrest warrants have been issued for 17 suspects in connection with the State Audit Office building collapse case, including engineers, site supervisors, joint venture partners, and former Italian-Thai Development president Premchai Karnasuta.
——-
Arrest warrants have been issued following a police investigation into the collapse of a government building during the March 28 earthquake.
Investigators found that the construction blueprint violated ministerial regulations and engineering standards.
The elevator shaft wall was placed near the rear of the structure instead of centrally, shifting the torsional center and compromising structural stability.
During the quake, the shaft wall and base columns failed nearly simultaneously, causing the entire building to collapse vertically at high speed.
Tests on cement samples confirmed the concrete did not meet KSC strength standards.
Rebar samples also failed to meet design specifications.
A forensic handwriting analysis confirmed that the signature of Somkiat Chusangsuk, Chair of the Engineering Clinic at the Engineering Institute of Thailand, was forged. He had been falsely listed as a licensed engineer in official documents.
Based on the findings, police identified 17 suspects across three groups—all involved in the design, supervision, or construction of the building—and found they had failed to comply with required professional standards:
Group 1: Design Firms – Forum Architect and Meinhardt (Thailand), both contracted by the State Audit Office. One authorized signatory and five structural engineers face charges. – Total: 6 suspects
Group 2: Supervision Contractors – PKW Joint Venture, represented by an individual signatory, with three companies sharing legal responsibility including P.N. Synchronize, KP Consultants and W. & Associates Consultants. – Total: 5 suspects
Group 3: Construction Contractors – Italian-Thai Development and China Railway No. 10 (Thailand), including authorized representatives of the ITD-CREC joint venture – Total: 6 suspects
The collapse resulted in 89 confirmed deaths, 1 serious injury, 8 minor injuries, and 11 missing persons.
Victims’ families filed complaints, prompting criminal charges against all 17 suspects, both as individuals and corporate entities.
They are charged under Sections 227 and 238 of the Criminal Code for professional negligence causing death—failing to follow required standards in the design, supervision, or execution of construction works.
——-
According to reports, one of the suspects is a Chinese national, Chuanling Zhang, director of China Railway No.10. Fifteen others include:
1. Suchart Chutipaparkorn, 64, Forum Architect.
2. Pimon Charoenying, 85, structural engineer, signatory of design plans
3. Teera Watthanathap, 59, structural engineer, signatory of design plans
4. Supol Akkara-areesuk, 51, structural engineer, signatory of design plans
5. Chainarong Siangpraiphan, 43, structural engineer, signatory of design plans
6. Apichart Raksa, 38, structural engineer, signatory of design plans
7. Patiwat Sirithai, 53, authorized director, P.N. Synchronize.
8. Kritphat Plongkrathok, 51, authorized director, KP Consultants
9. Phondej Therdpitakvanich, 56, authorized signatory, W. & Associates Consultants.
10. Praneet Saengalangkarn, 63, authorized signatory (as juristic person), W. & Associates Consultants.
11. Somchai Supyen, 59, project manager, named in personal capacity
12. Nitchaporn Charanachit, 73, authorized signatory (as juristic person), Italian-Thai Development
13. Kriangsak Korwattana, 65, acting on behalf of the joint venture
14. Anuwat Kansorn, 54, structural engineer, China Railway No. 10
15. Thipat Rattanawongsa, 43, structural engineer, China Railway No. 10
——-
Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development, turned himself in at Bang Sue Police Station after the Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for him and 16 others over the collapse of the 2.1-billion-baht State Audit Office building.
He faces charges under Sections 227 and 238 of the Criminal Code for professional negligence causing death.
——-
Fifteen suspects in the State Audit Office (SAO) building collapse case have been interrogated, and all denied the charges, said Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy chief Pol Maj Gen Noppasin Poolsawat.
The Criminal Court had earlier approved arrest warrants for 17 suspects, including designers, construction supervisors, and contractors.
Fifteen suspects, including Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian-Thai Development, have appeared to acknowledge the charges, while the remaining two suspects, company executives, are scheduled to meet investigators later today.
All 15 suspects denied the allegations and requested time to prepare defense documents, which must be submitted by May 23.
Bail was denied at this stage due to the case’s public significance.
Investigators continue to gather additional evidence and may expand the case to others involved.
Regarding government officials who signed off on the building’s acceptance, police are awaiting the report from the fact-finding committee appointed by the Prime Minister.
If evidence links any officials or others involved in the project, further warrants will be sought.
The investigation is being coordinated closely with the Department of Special Investigation, which is handling related bid-rigging and nominee issues.
The arrest warrants are based on evidence that design, supervision, and construction violated regulations and standards, causing the building to collapse and resulting in fatalities.
Expert testimony confirmed the construction plans did not comply with ministerial regulations.
Material tests revealed substandard concrete and steel that did not meet the Terms of Reference (TOR).
Forged signatures were used to approve plan changes, as confirmed by forensic analysis.
The SAO authorized payments over 22 stages, but actual work progress was only 33%, compared to an expected 80%.
The construction contract was terminated before the collapse.
The SAO had disbursed 900 million baht from its budget for the project.
Police are continuing to investigate whether the SAO or any officials bear responsibility based on the evidence gathered.
——-
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) led coordinated raids on seven TPI Concrete plants in Bangkok and Nonthaburi.
The operation is linked to the construction of the collapsed State Audit Office (SAO) building, and authorities are also seeking an arrest warrant for another Chinese national in connection with a nominee case.
The operation was carried out in cooperation with officials from the Department of Public Works, the Forensic Science Institute, and the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI).
The raids followed an extensive investigation into alleged irregularities in three contracts related to the SAO building project: construction by the ITD-CREC joint venture (Italian-Thai Development and China Railway No. 10), design by Forum Architect and Meinhardt (Thailand), and supervision by the PKW joint venture (P.N. Synchronize, KP Consultants, and W. & Associates Consultants).
The DSI interrogated 38 engineers whose names appeared on supervision documents.
Eight admitted to signing the documents, while 30 denied doing so and claimed their signatures had been forged.
Authorities seized over 121 boxes of construction documents and collected concrete and steel samples for forensic analysis.
The seven search locations were TPI Concrete plants across Bangkok and Nonthaburi, which had supplied cement for the SAO building and are linked to Avana International.
In addition, the DSI is seeking an arrest warrant for Wu Bing Lin, a Chinese investor connected to China Railway No. 10 Thailand, on charges of violating the Foreign Business Act in relation to nominee ownership.
Three Thai directors of China Railway No. 10, suspected of acting as nominees, are believed to have ties to Wu Bing Lin’s tire import-export business.
Earlier, police had already issued an arrest warrant for Chuanling Zhang, director of China Railway No. 10, in connection with the collapse.
Zhang is also a suspect in the DSI’s investigation into nominee ownership.
Source: Thai Enquirer on X
