A Thai construction tycoon is among 17 people charged following the collapse of a high-rise tower block in Bangkok, which killed at least 92 people.
The 30-storey development, which was still being constructed, was the only building in the city to come down following tremors emanating from a powerful 7.7 magnitude quake in March in neighbouring Myanmar.
Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian Thai Development, one of Thailand’s largest construction companies, and 16 other suspects have been accused of negligence and breaching construction regulations. They deny all the charges.
Collectively, they are linked to companies responsible for building design and construction, said Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy commissioner Noppasin Poonsawat.
Of those charged, 15 people surrendered to police and appeared in court on Friday for pre-trial proceedings. Premchai arrived in a wheelchair.
Two more suspects are scheduled to report to authorities in the coming days. A criminal court issued arrest warrants for the 17 on Thursday.
“Expert assessments revealed that the architectural design did not comply with ministerial regulations or meet the technical standards outlined in the terms of reference,” Noppasin said.
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Initial tests of materials gathered at the site in March indicated the presence of substandard steel among the wreckage structure, according to industry ministry officials.
An investigation was still under way over the causes of the collapse. Italian Thai Development has said it is cooperating with authorities.
Thai media have reported allegations of wrongdoing in the project almost every day since the building’s collapse, many of them involving alleged irregular documentation for the project.
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Rescue teams have so far recovered 92 bodies during a six-week operation at the site. Four people remain missing.
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The search has been halted in the rubble of the collapsed building, which was to become a new State Audit Office, although efforts will continue to identify remains using DNA.
The epicentre of the quake was in central Myanmar, where it killed more than 3,700 people and caused major damage in Mandalay, the country’s second biggest city, and the capital, Naypyitaw.
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Premchai’s case is his second major clash with the law. In 2019, he was convicted of wildlife poaching and served about three years in prison.
Park rangers found him with a hunting party at a wildlife sanctuary in 2018 with carcasses which included a rare black panther.
