BANGKOK, May 16 (TNA) – Prominent businessman Premchai Karnasuta, CEO of Italian-Thai Development PCL, arrived in a wheelchair to surrender to police in Bangkok on Friday in connection with the deadly collapse of a new State Audit Office (SAO) building that occurred during an earthquake in Bangkok late March.
A Thai court had issued arrest warrants for 17 people, including Premchai, over the incident. Engineers involved in the design and construction of the collapsed building also began surrendering to investigators at Bang Sue Police Station. The warrants target engineers and construction supervisors, citing violations of building regulations that led to deaths. Authorities are pursuing charges carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Investigations have uncovered critical flaws in the building’s design and construction, including non-compliant plans, misplaced structural elements such as the elevator shaft, and substandard materials like cement and reinforcing steel. Forensic analysis also indicated a forged signature on key documents. The 17 individuals facing arrest are categorized into groups involved in design, supervision, and construction, including representatives from Italian-Thai Development PCL and China Railway Number 10 (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Police had prepared for the suspects’ surrender on Friday morning. Following the formal charging process, authorities intend to seek their detention, citing the severity of the charges and the multiple fatalities resulting from the building’s failure. -819 (TNA)
