Boonsong ex-aide gets 50 years over rice deal

[webfact]

Boonsong ex-aide gets 50 years over rice deal

By The Nation

 

File photo: Boonsong Teriyapirom

 

A CLOSE aide to imprisoned former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom was yesterday sentenced to 50 years in jail in absentia for his role in a corruption scandal linked to the Yingluck Shinawatra government’s rice-pledging scheme.
 

The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders yesterday found Major Wirawut Wajjanapukka, Boonsong’s secretary during the Pheu Thai Party-led administration, guilty of colluding in a scheme to allegedly sell rice from government stocks to two Chinese state-owned companies at reduced prices. 

 

Wirawut was originally sentenced to 72 years in jail – 18 years for each of the four counts of offence. However, the Penal Code sets 50 as the maximum number of years in prison. 

 

The rice was supposed to be sold as a government-to-government deal, but the rice was never shipped to China and was instead delivered to local businesses. 

 

Suthee Chuamthaisong, another defendant in the case, was yesterday sentenced in absentia to 32 years in jail for his role in the graft scandal. The court has also ordered him to pay Bt16.9 billion in compensation to the Commerce Ministry, which is considered the damaged party in the case.

 

Suthee worked for businessman Apichart Chansakulporn, who is better known in media as “Sia Piang”. The tycoon is serving a lengthy jail term for his involvement in the rice-pledging scheme.

 

Yesterday, the court also ordered arrest warrants to be issued for both fugitives.

 

Both Wirawut and Suthee have been on the run since 2015, shortly after the case was brought to court. 

 

In August 2017, Boonsong and his former deputy, Poom Sarapol, along with 15 others were found guilty and given jail sentences ranging from four to 48 years. 

 

On May 17, the Supreme Court ordered that assets worth Bt896.5 million belonging to Wirawut, his parents, ex-wife, daughter and former father-in-law be confiscated.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30370168

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-29

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[grumbleweed]

...and don't let anyone stand in their way as they  hurtle back to serve their time

[ChipButty]

On May 17, the Supreme Court ordered that assets worth Bt896.5 million belonging to Wirawut, his parents, ex-wife, daughter and former father-in-law be confiscated.

What about the Mia Noi's? 

[ChipButty]

Was Yingluck involved in this case?

[Chazar]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

However, the Penal Code sets 50 as the maximum number of years in prison. 

Phew, bet that's a  relief, really the whole country is one big filthy sack of endless  greed  and selfishness, or maybe I'm being too harsh?

[thaiguzzi]

W I T C H  H U N T....

[Eric Loh]

Is this the only rice scheme that is corrupted or the only crop that link to corruption. Probably the lesson here is to stay of rice policy. Rubber, palm oil etc are ok. 

[seajae]

great to see they are confiscating all the assets of the families as well, too often they let them keep it, this way none of them get to live high on the hog from the ill gotten gains. 

 

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, grumbleweed said:

...and don't let anyone stand in their way as they  hurtle back to serve their time

Just wondering if he's abroad with the paymaster fled big sister.

[steven100]

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Was Yingluck involved in this case?

didn't she instigate it  ?

[sammieuk1]

The only thing that ever gets pledged here is self interest first and last????

[newatthis]

And all the latest politicians will be going "tut tut tut" as they plan their own feeding frenzy.

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Was Yingluck involved in this case?

 

She sacked Boonsong when this fraud G2G deal came to light in response to the outcries. 

 

However, curiously, she didn't cancel the fraudulent deal, ensure those responsible were prosecuted, or make any efforts to ensure the proceeds were confiscated.

 

Boonsong was the protege of Yingluck's older sister, the one who served a 5 year ban for election cheating along with her daughter.

 

 

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Is this the only rice scheme that is corrupted or the only crop that link to corruption. Probably the lesson here is to stay of rice policy. Rubber, palm oil etc are ok. 

 

Admit it Eric, PTP were corrupt to the core, their leaders and owners especially.

 

Stop trying to deflect their crimes by saying others also do things. Man up to reality.

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

W I T C H  H U N T....

 

Really? Did you know the slightest detail of this very criminal case?

[Baerboxer]

They are looking downwards to the aides and assistants of those convicted. Why not look upwards to?

[Eric Loh]

3 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

They are looking downwards to the aides and assistants of those convicted. Why not look upwards to?

Don't forget to look sideways too. 

[Eric Loh]

7 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Admit it Eric, PTP were corrupt to the core, their leaders and owners especially.

 

Stop trying to deflect their crimes by saying others also do things. Man up to reality.

I do admit there were corruption with the PTP government. Now do you also admit that there were corruptions with other non PTP government and the junta government. Man up to reality that all are corrupted but the dispensation of justice are highly skewed

[happy chappie]

4 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

W I T C H  H U N T....

Or maybe it's the long arm of the law and justice for the people.somehow I tend to believe all of these corruption charges are not just made up and they actually took place.

[Orton Rd]

Guilty of being on the wrong side

[Ozman52]

6 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Every person with money is given the opportunity to escape here. Not so if you are poor you will do hard time for minor offences. 

 

They are only after the assets and money in Thailand when it comes down to it. 

Tell that to Boonsong.

[RJRS1301]

Why were his parents assets seized?

How did they prove the parents assets and the ex wife's assets were proceeds of crime?

 

 

[Ozman52]

9 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

Why were his parents assets seized?

How did they prove the parents assets and the ex wife's assets were proceeds of crime?

 

 

Because stashing the ill-gotten gains with family is SOP. They don't have to prove anything, it up to the asset holders to show how those assets were obtained. Double jeopardy, you have to do that without falling foul of tax or money laundering laws. 

[off road pat]

7 hours ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Every person with money is given the opportunity to escape here. Not so if you are poor you will do hard time for minor offences. 

 

They are only after the assets and money in Thailand when it comes down to it. 

No,...People with money can escape because you need a lot of money to live abroad....Poor people don't have the means to survive in hiding !!!

[worgeordie]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Yesterday, the court also ordered arrest warrants to be issued for both fugitives.

 

International arrest warrants i hope,involving INTERPOL,as i

am sure they will not be in Thailand.

regards worgeordie

[Eric Loh]

41 minutes ago, Ozman52 said:

Because stashing the ill-gotten gains with family is SOP. They don't have to prove anything, it up to the asset holders to show how those assets were obtained. Double jeopardy, you have to do that without falling foul of tax or money laundering laws. 

What if someone with the rank of General tell you that it is none of your business to question his family wealth. Double jeopardy don't apply to all Thais in general. 

[robblok]

5 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

What if someone with the rank of General tell you that it is none of your business to question his family wealth. Double jeopardy don't apply to all Thais in general. 

Of course your 100% right to point that out, the generals should be investigated too. But I would like to point out that YL did all she could to resist an unbias investigation in the rice program (intimidating the person who brought it up.. stalling doing her own fake investigation). She just did not have the same pull as the generals but otherwise she would have done exactly the same. I guess all crooks (yellow and red) would do the same. Thailand has a long way to go and I would have preferred the PTP in power but only because they would have less chances to get away with corruption now in their weakened state the generals have too much power.

 

[scorecard]

36 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

The Thaksin obsessives are loving this. The only time they get to post without ridicule after cheerleading the junta into power.

Well no so fast.

 

The folks that dislike the paymaster don't automatically like the junta.

 

I and many others (from many postings) equally dislike both. 

 

 

[Eric Loh]

51 minutes ago, robblok said:

Of course your 100% right to point that out, the generals should be investigated too. But I would like to point out that YL did all she could to resist an unbias investigation in the rice program (intimidating the person who brought it up.. stalling doing her own fake investigation). She just did not have the same pull as the generals but otherwise she would have done exactly the same. I guess all crooks (yellow and red) would do the same. Thailand has a long way to go and I would have preferred the PTP in power but only because they would have less chances to get away with corruption now in their weakened state the generals have too much power.

 

Fair comment Rob. We both dislike corruption and like to see all corruption investigated by independent enforcement agencies and adjudicated by a fair court without being influenced by political expediency.  

[happy chappie]

3 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Why were his parents assets seized?

How did they prove the parents assets and the ex wife's assets were proceeds of crime?

 

 

 

3 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Why were his parents assets seized?

How did they prove the parents assets and the ex wife's assets were proceeds of crime?

 

 

He will be able to tell us when he gets out in 2069.