BANGKOK, May 2, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A Thai court has jailed a billionaire businessman for 24 years after expanding his luxury golf resort into a nature reserve, local media said.

Anti-graft prosecutors filed a case in 2021 accusing metal magnate Prayudh Mahagitsiri of colluding with officials to obtain land deeds to extend his Mountain Creek Golf Resort and Residences.

The 900-acre (360-hectare) 27-hole resort in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of Bangkok, bills itself as "a sensory multiplex for those with lofty desires".

But authorities said 74 acres added to the development fell within areas protected by conservation laws.

The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct on Thursday found 79-year-old Prayudh guilty of multiple charges including bribery and land encroachment, local media outlets said.

He was sentenced to 24 years alongside 10 other defendants including his daughter, who was handed a 12-year jail term.

Prayudh is filing for an appeal, reports said.

He has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, according to Forbes, with business interests in steel and coffee.

Forbes ranked him Thailand's 10th richest individual in 2024.

Golf is a major Thai tourism draw, particularly among enthusiasts from Europe, Japan and South Korea.

However the sport is often criticised by environmental campaigners because it converts tracts of wilderness into pruned grass greens requiring intensive watering.