Thailand confirms jail time for millionaire endangered species hunter

The case of the Thai construction magnate Premchai Karnasuta had become the symbol of a justice which rarely struck the wealthy.

Here, after his hearing in a local court in Kanchanaburi, March 19, 2019. AP

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The Thai Supreme Court confirmed Wednesday, December 8, after a judicial soap opera of several years, the sentence of a billionaire to three years and two months in prison for having illegally hunted protected animals, in particular a black panther, a very rare species.

The affair had become the symbol of a justice which often spared the rich.

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With our correspondent in Bangkok,

The case had sparked a wave of national outrage.

In 2018, Premchai Karnasuta, one of the country's most prominent businessmen, was arrested by police at night in a cave in one of the country's largest national parks.

At his feet

, which he was about to consume in broth: his photo in his underwear - of weapons and the dead animal by his side - had made all the headlines. .

Before the arrest, the construction tycoon had distributed

to forest rangers to lead him to the haunt of the feline, a rare and protected species.

Many works of urban art, graphic or musical, have moreover been devoted to the black panther, which has become an allegory.

This snapshot taken by the Thai Department of National Parks of the arrest of millionaire Premchai Karnasuta on February 4, 2018, as well as the case itself, outraged environmental and youth associations.

AP

After his arrest and a few hours of discussion with the police chief, the businessman escaped unscathed, particularly angering environmental and youth activists.

This prison sentence therefore comes as a pleasant surprise in a country where millionaires are known to never pay with their person for their crimes.

Several court cases involving young people of good family responsible for fatal traffic accidents in particular, have been ongoing for years.

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