Somyot Poompanmoung (; ; born 27 December 1954) is a former commissioner-general of the

Royal Thai Police The Royal Thai Police (RTP) (; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excluding the military and the employees of state-owned enterprises). The R ...

and former president of the

Football Association of Thailand The Football Association of Thailand, under the Patronage of His Majesty the King (), or FA Thailand (FAT) for short, is the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer in Thailand. It was founded on 25 April 1916. The associ ...

Career

The National Police Policy Committee, on 20 August 2014, promoted Somyot to be the tenth Commissioner-General of the

, replacing Pol. Gen. Adul Sangsingkeo who was removed from the office by

National Council for Peace and Order The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO; ; ; abbreviated (; )) was the military junta that ruled Thailand from its coup d'état on 22 May 2014 to 16 July 2019. On 20 May 2014, the military declared martial law nationwide in an attempt to ...

on 24 May 2014. Somyot retired as the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police from 1 October 2015.

Member of National Legislative Council

Following the military coup of 22 May 2014, Somyot was appointed to the National Legislative Council (NLC). Members are required to reveal their assets and properties to determine if they are "unusually rich". Somyot and his wife's net worth was reported to be about 355 million

baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

(roughly US$11 million). One government critic said that this raised "...questions about how a lifelong career in the public service could have made him a millionaire."

President of Football Association of Thailand

On 11 February 2016, Somyot was elected the new president of the

. On 3 June 2019, he was appointed as

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation ( ...

Executive Committee Member to represent the

ASEAN Football Federation The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) is an organisation within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and is an international governing body of association football, futsal, and beach soccer in Southeast Asia. It consists of the federations of Fo ...

. On February 8, 2024, Somyot declared his departure from the presidency of the Football Association. Having served in the role since 2016, totaling 8 years, his tenure had reached the limit of two terms. Opting not to vie for reelection for a third term, Somyot made this decision upon learning that Thai politician and businesswoman Nualphan Lamsam would be contesting against him for the presidency of the Football Association.

Victoria's Secret loan

In 2018, Somyot publicly declared that he had borrowed 300 million baht from the fugitive owner of the Victoria's Secret Massage parlour while serving as national police chief in 2014 and 2015. Somyot's admission came after the

Department of Special Investigation The Department of Special Investigation (DSI), under Thailand's Ministry of Justice (Thailand), Ministry of Justice (MOJ), operates independently from the Royal Thai Police (RTP) and is responsible for tackling high-profile crimes and transnatio ...

(DSI) revealed that its Victoria's Secret investigation found that the money trail of the business's owner, Kampol Wirathepsuporn, led to the former police chief. When asked why he borrowed so much money from Mr Kampol, he answered that his police job was a sideline career and he needed the funds for his other businesses, including a stock trading firm. Somyot did not report the loans in his assets declaration submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission as required during his term in office.

Wichian Klanprasert case

On 29 August 2024, Somyot was indicted along with seven others for their role in tampering with evidence related to the death of Wichian Klanprasert, particularly in the altering of the recorded speed of the Ferrari used by the suspect,

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...

heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya.

Awards

* The ''Most Exalted''

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

* The ''Most Noble''

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) for Thais, the royal family, governmental employees, and foreign dignitaries for their outstanding serv ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poompanmoung, Somyot 1954 births Living people Somyot Poompanmoung Somyot Poompanmoung