Mayoral candidate cleared of underage prostitution charges

A court today acquitted Thailand’s best-known sex tycoon on charges of employing underage girls as prostitutes in his massage parlours, handing him a legal victory ahead of his election bid for Bangkok mayor.

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 service as payoffs to stop them from harassing him.