Sex tycoon clear for mayoral bid

A COURT yesterday acquitted a Thai sex tycoon on charges of employing underage prostitutes, handing him a boosting his bid to become mayor of Bangkok.

The Bangkok Criminal Court ruled there was insufficient evidence to convict Chuwit Kamolvisit, who shot to prominence last year by going public with claims that he had plied the police for years with expensive gifts and free services as payoffs to stop them from harassing him.

Mr Chuwit hoped to turn his popularity stemming from the embarrassment that the police were put through by first starting a political party and later announcing he would run for Bangkok mayor in August elections.

Chuwit was charged in May of last year with employing three women under the age of 18 to work in some of his six massage parlours which employ nearly 2,000 young women.

The charges were levelled on a complaint filed by Paveena Hongsakul, a women's rights activist who is one of his rivals in the elections.

"I was bullied by someone who wanted to make herself famous, and today it backfired on her," he said after the verdict.