Building collapse in Bangkok leads to indictment of 23 individuals by local prosecutors
The Thai authorities have taken a significant step in the investigation into the collapse of the State Audit Office (SAO) tower in Bangkok, with prosecutors indicting 23 individuals and corporate entities for design and construction flaws, negligence, and forged documents.
Among those indicted are Premchai Karnasuta, the president of Italian-Thai Development (ITD), and an executive from China Railway No. 10. The indictments, announced by Sakkasem Nisaiyok, a spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General, come after preliminary investigations concluded that design and construction flaws led to the collapse of the SAO tower during the March 28 earthquake.
The 30-storey tower was the only building to collapse from tremors emanating from the 7.7 magnitude quake in neighbouring Myanmar. The building was under construction at the time, with the construction being a joint venture between ITD and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd.
The charges cover professional misconduct in design, supervision, and construction that failed to comply with safety and engineering standards, causing the building’s collapse and resulting in the deaths of at least 92 workers. Several defendants face additional charges of forgery and use of forged documents, as well as violations of the Building Control Act and Public Procurement and Asset Management Act.
Premchai Karnasuta and other key suspects have denied the charges. ITD and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the design and construction flaws. Lawyers for China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Ltd could not be reached for comment.
Investigations are continuing into alleged bidding collusion involving up to 70 state officials, though this aspect of the case is still ongoing. The Department of Special Investigation mentioned alleged bidding collusion as another aspect of the case.
Mr Premchai and 14 others denied all charges against them when they were arrested over the building collapse. 21 others were also indicted for breaching construction regulations and causing death through negligence. The indictments were made by Thai prosecutors on Thursday.
The Office of the Attorney General forwarded the investigation to the Special Prosecutor's Criminal Division 8 after police and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) concluded their investigation, which included reviewing over 90,000 pages of evidence.
This development marks a significant milestone in the investigation, with the Thai authorities advancing from investigation to formal criminal indictments covering design flaws, negligence, forged documents, and procurement irregularities, with continued inquiry into collusion and state official involvement.
- The indictments for design and construction flaws, negligence, and forged documents in the SAO tower collapse case have implicated Premchai Karnasuta, a notable figure in the politics and general-news sphere as the president of Italian-Thai Development.
- Beyond the charges of design and construction flaws, several defendants in the SAO tower collapse investigation are also facing additional charges of forgery and violations of the Building Control Act and Public Procurement and Asset Management Act, marking an intersection between crime-and-justice and politics and general-news.
