The lawyer for “Big Joke” submitted a letter to the Prime Minister requesting help to forward the matter to the Council of State, affirming the opinion on the gold bribery case jurisdiction by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). He insisted this is not a political issue nor a delay tactic and pointed out that the law clearly states the police have no authority in this matter.
At 10:30 a.m. on 30 January 2026, at the Government Complaints Center, Secretariat Office of the Prime Minister, former Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) building, Mr. Sanyaphat Samart, lawyer for Police General Surachate Hakparn, former Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, submitted a letter to the Prime Minister regarding the investigation of the gold bribery case. He stated that he came to request the Prime Minister to seek a legal opinion from the Council of State. This follows the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) returning the gold bribery case file to the police, stating it is not within their jurisdiction, and advising to use the parliamentary speaker as the channel to submit the matter.
At the same time, the police have been trying to find justification by sending letters to the Office of the Attorney General and the Lawyers Council to seek opinions, attempting to find an agency to decide on the matter. However, the Council of State had previously given an opinion that such actions are not permitted, which is why the matter was not submitted to the Council of State. Therefore, he asked the Prime Minister to act as a mediator to forward the opinion to the Council of State.
. (No translation content) He further affirmed that this is not a political matter nor a delay tactic but a legal issue. The constitution clearly states the law, including two relevant Acts: the Organic Act on Anti-Corruption, B.E. 2561 (2018), and the Organic Act on the Criminal Procedure of Political Office Holders, B.E. 2560 (2017). Therefore, in this case, the law specifies a particular legal channel for proceedings. No one can interpret it otherwise, and the investigating officers never had authority from the start.
Moreover, if the Council of State finds cause upon interpretation, the case must proceed through the Supreme Court to have a legitimate neutral party review the matter, rather than allowing those who acted improperly to decide. He emphasized that attempts to interpret alternative channels and split jurisdiction contradict the constitution and represent an exercise of power beyond constitutional authority. Today, he came to request the Prime Minister to act as an intermediary to send the opinion to the Council of State to set a precedent for society. He also plans to submit the matter to the Royal Thai Police Chief to proceed accordingly, stressing the need to follow the law, not personal discretion. Wrongdoing remains wrongdoing and can never be justified.