BANGKOK // A Thai criminal court on Monday dismissed a case against five men, including a senior police officer, charged with murdering a Saudi businessman over precious stones worth millions of dollars stolen a quarter of a century ago.
The theft of the jewels worth $20 million (Dh73 million) in 1989 and subsequent disappearance of Mohammad Al Ruwaili, a businessman with ties to the Saudi royal family, strained Thai-Saudi relations severely.
Bangkok’s Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court ruled there was insufficient evidence to try the five men who were accused of kidnapping and killing Al Ruwaili, who had gone to Bangkok to investigate what became known as the “Blue Diamond Affair”.
The gems and jewellery were stolen from a Saudi prince’s palace by a Thai gardener, Kriangkrai Techamong, who shipped the loot back home to Thailand.
Mr Kriangkrai was arrested soon after the theft but he had already sold many of the stolen gems, including a priceless 50-carat blue diamond. Some of the jewels were eventually returned to their owner but Saudi Arabia later complained most of the returned gems were fake.
Saudi authorities, distrustful of the Thai police investigation, sent Al Ruwaili to Bangkok to investigate the case.
Three Saudi diplomats were shot execution-style in Bangkok days before Al Ruwaili vanished in 1990, and Saudi Arabia has long suspected official involvement in the killings.
Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation, the Thai equivalent of the US FBI, has denied that the murders and disappearances are related to the 1989 jewellery robbery.
The abduction and disappearance of Al Ruwaili and the murders of the three diplomats remain unsolved, and Monday’s court verdict will likely strain Saudi-Thai relations further.
* Reuters
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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Scoreline
Chelsea 1
Azpilicueta (36')
West Ham United 1
Hernandez (73')
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Specs
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
