Campaign launched to impeach NACC brass

By THE NATION

 

 

AN ANTI-CORRUPTION activist has started a campaign to seek the impeachment of five members of the national anti-graft agency who voted to clear Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan of any wrongdoing in the luxury wristwatch scandal.
 

Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution, yesterday urged the president of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit, to “consider what he should do” to take responsibility for what he described as the agency’s “loss of public confidence”.

 

Watcharapol had withdrawn from the case following criticism that he could be biased in favour of General Prawit since he was a former subordinate of the general.

 

The others on the nine-member NACC last Thursday voted 5-3 to drop charges against Prawit, who was investigated for allegedly possessing a large number of luxury watches without reporting them to the anti-graft agency, as required by law. The ruling drew flak from both critics and politicians.

 

The NACC said it found that the watches – together valued at more than Bt20 million – belonged to a deceased friend of Prawit, as the deputy PM-defence minister had initially claimed, and that he had concealed assets.

 

At his teashop at Ying Charoen Market in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district yesterday, Srisuwan launched his signature campaign to impeach the five NACC members. 

 

He aims to collect at least 20,000 signatures to start the impeachment process, as allowed by the Constitution. Srisuwan said he expected to reach the number within two weeks.

 

The charter gives citizens who muster the support of at least 20,000 eligible voters the right to petition the National Assembly president to take action against any NACC member who “deliberately performs duties or exercises powers contrary to the provisions of the Constitution or the law, or seriously contravenes or fails to comply with the ethical standards”. 

 

If the accusation is found to have ground, the case would be referred to the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions.

 

Srisuwan said his petition would focus on the five commissioners who voted to absolve Prawit. The NACC president should strive to restore the credibility the agency lost due to its decision, he said. He considered it Watcharapol’s responsibility, even though the NACC chief had recused himself from the case.

 

Meanwhile, Election Commission (EC) secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma yesterday refused to confirm or deny speculation that the next general election could be postponed from the scheduled February 24. Jarungvith said the EC would announce the official election date within five days of a royal decree on the election being issued next month.

 

The election must bea held between February 24 and May 9, within the 150-day legal timeframe under the new Constitution, after the new organic law on the election of MPs came into effect on December 11.

 

“The EC needs to take all relevant factors into consideration, including the printing of ballot papers,” Jarungvith said. “There is no delay in the election. The EC has not yet set the date for the national vote. February 24 is just one of the days that the EC is ready to hold the election,” he added.

 

Earlier, there was speculation that the general election could be postponed for a month because of the demands of printing ballot papers that need to have different details like candidate names and numbers, their political parties and logos, for each of the constituencies.

 

EC president Ittiporn Boonpracong said yesterday he was unaware of any discussion on postponing the election.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30361387

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-12-31

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

the president of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit,

How <deleted> ironic ! ????????????

2 hours ago, webfact said:

secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution,

that's a tough gig, new one every few years

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“The EC needs to take all relevant factors into consideration, including the printing of ballot papers,” Jarungvith said. “There is no delay in the election. The EC has not yet set the date for the national vote. February 24 is just one of the days that the EC is ready to hold the election,”

Seeing the way Prayut sticks his nose into just about everything, I'd suggest it's closer to say, "The EC has not yet been told when to set the date for the national vote."

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Campaign launched to impeach NACC brass

Why not go to the cause and impeach the watchman first?

17 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

Why not go to the cause and impeach the watchman first?

You wouldn’t get 1/4 of the junta appointed NLA members to start impeachment process. They are all part of the rot besieging Thailand. 

20,000 people are going to get their attitude adjusted!

30 minutes ago, sweatalot said:

Why not go to the cause and impeach the watchman first?

Why stop there......chase all the rascals out and those prospective types standing in line.

 

 

More of a two steps forward and one step back scenario.

Why bother singling out and individual or two. 

 

A good solid people's resistance rebellion is in order.

The Thai for impeach will be envelope or rucksack the higher up the monkey tree you go. hope they get somewhere but it looks like 8/5 on the wont????

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The others on the nine-member NACC last Thursday voted 5-3 to drop charges against Prawit

5 + 3 = 8. Didn't the 3 that voted against and the "abstainer" get a fat enough brown envelope?

Poor Prawit, after all these accusations he feels the urge to get rid of his last (even not so costly) timepiece, he borrowed from a New Zealand farmer, who died after falling off a tree during harvest.

1 hour ago, zzaa09 said:

Why stop there......chase all the rascals out and those prospective types standing in line.

 

 

More of a two steps forward and one step back scenario.

Why bother singling out and individual or two. 

 

A good solid people's resistance rebellion is in order.

Yes a rebellion.. you do know that after the French revolution the people who started the revolution were as evil in what they did as the king and power did not go to the people.. but just to an other elite. 

 

The Thai people can only move forward if they themselves start selecting honest politicians given what criminals they selected in the past I doubt that this will happen. 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Campaign launched to impeach NACC brass

Might as well move to impeach PM Prayut who decides who is nominated for membership in all the independent organizations. Might that be a theoretical possibility in a constitutional monarchy?

4 hours ago, sweatalot said:

Why not go to the cause and impeach the watchman first?

Prawit doesn't have time for that. 

I wish them luck, but I think this is as close as he will get to impeachment.......

8 hours ago, webfact said:

He aims to collect at least 20,000 signatures to start the impeachment process, as allowed by the Constitution. Srisuwan said he expected to reach the number within two weeks.

 

Hummm. 20,000 Thais who are voluntarily enrolling in a Government mandated re-education program. ????

Fail to see either why the family of the deceased don;t want the watches back, or that he can show he was left them in the will

7 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Why stop there......chase all the rascals out and those prospective types standing in line.

 

 

More of a two steps forward and one step back scenario.

Why bother singling out and individual or two. 

 

A good solid people's resistance rebellion is in order.

After the vote I think Thailand might just get one !!!

On 12/30/2018 at 9:12 PM, robblok said:

Yes a rebellion.. you do know that after the French revolution the people who started the revolution were as evil in what they did as the king and power did not go to the people.. but just to an other elite. 

 

The Thai people can only move forward if they themselves start selecting honest politicians given what criminals they selected in the past I doubt that this will happen. 

They won't select honest and qualified leaders for sure if the election is not free of manipulation and strong arming. The group pictured appears to be grassroots and not likely to be seated near the trough once the dust settles. But...who ever claims the trough will surely have to decide which direction they will go and we all know that power corrupts. It is refreshing to see that some people are starting fan the potential winds of change. Hopefully a hurricane will follow.