Thailand’s Supreme Court has sentenced former MP Wirat Rattanaset to four years in prison without suspension for his role in a massive corruption scheme involving the construction of futsal courts at schools across 18 provinces.
The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions delivered its verdict on Thursday in case number อม.17/2564, brought by the Attorney General against Wirat and 86 co-defendants.
Wirat, a former Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) list MP and former chairman of the government coalition coordination committee (government whip), was convicted of misappropriating 4.459 billion baht from the 2012 budget allocation for futsal court construction at schools.
The scheme targeted schools in educational zones across 18 provinces, including the Educational Service Area Zone 2 in Nakhon Ratchasima province.
The Supreme Court found Wirat guilty under Section 151 (former) of the Criminal Code in conjunction with Section 86, imposing the four-year prison sentence without suspension. However, Wirat and his co-defendants retain the right to appeal to the Supreme Court.
