Thai ex-convict Deputy Minister spared the axe by Charter Court

[snoop1130]

 

Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled today (Wednesday) that Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompow, who was found guilty of drug trafficking by an Australian court in 1993, can retain his ministerial post and MP status, despite the conviction.

 

“Even though the defendant was sentenced by the District Court of New South Wales, before he ran for the election as an MP, it was not a conviction in a Thai Court, so the defendant does not have qualities prohibited for an MP,” said a judge.

 

The verdict came after 51 MPs filed a petition with the House Speaker to submit the case to the Constitutional Court, to rule on whether Capt. Thammanat’s parliamentary status is legally valid.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-ex-convict-deputy-minister-spared-the-axe-by-charter-court/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-05-05

 

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[Thailand]

Somebody knows where some skeletons are buried perhaps?

[Justgrazing]

14 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

 

“Even though the defendant was sentenced by the District Court of New South Wales, before he ran for the election as an MP, it was not a conviction in a Thai Court, so the defendant does not have qualities prohibited for an MP,”

 

No shame and no credibility eh .. 

But will he be able to attend any crop growing fairs in Oz' now he's managed to hang on to the position .. 

[thequietman]

So, let me get this straight -

 

if you were a convicted kiddie feeler in Oz, you can still be a politician here

 

if you were a convicted rapist in Oz, you can still be a politician here

 

if you were convicted of murder in Oz, you can Still be a politician here

 

(assuming you are a Thai national in all the above)

 

Kinda tells you all you need to know about Thailand, it's judicial system and government. Sad really, isn't it. ????

[mark131v]

36 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

it was not a conviction in a Thai Court, so the defendant does not have qualities prohibited for an MP,” said a judge.

 

Indeed you could argue his prior conviction renders him eminently qualified for a role as a Thai MP

 

Liar                   YN

Uneducated  YN

Dishonest       YN

Immoral          YN

 

With his background in international crime he certainly has all the ticks in the right boxes, he'll go far....

 

 

[candide]

13 minutes ago, thequietman said:

So, let me get this straight -

 

if you were a convicted kiddie feeler in Oz, you can still be a politician here

 

if you were a convicted rapist in Oz, you can still be a politician here

 

if you were convicted of murder in Oz, you can Still be a politician here

 

(assuming you are a Thai national in all the above)

 

Kinda tells you all you need to know about Thailand, it's judicial system and government. Sad really, isn't it. ????

Well, I guess it also depends on the political colour. If someone happens to be on the wrong political side, that person may well be banned for a parking offense in OZ. ????

[Mr Meeseeks]

From the article in the Thaiger:

"The Court maintained that, as the case was tried in another country other than Thailand, his conviction has no bearing on his standing as a member of parliament in Thailand. That same standard doesn’t hold for foreigners who enter Thailand with foreign court convictions, which are used to deny them entry."

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/drugs/thammanat-prompow-is-cleared-to-continue-serving-as-an-mp-and-cabinet-minister

 

Basically they have just admitted there is a double standard for themselves and foreigners.

 

What despicable, inadequate, little people.

[internationalism]

as a defence in an australian court he said he was a bodyguard to a certain persona.

Until he crosses this person he is protected.

World mass media would pick up in him, this one made the investigation in australian courts and dig up all papers

https://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-jail-time-no-barrier-to-cabinet-post-thai-court-rules-20210505-p57p1e.html

[mark131v]

1 minute ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

What despicable, inadequate, little people.

 

That sir is post of the day for me, sum's them up nicely!!

[ThailandRyan]

He was not convicted by a Thai court and there is the rub.  He is bullet proof. Could have been a mass murderer convicted in the US, served 40 years is paroled returns to Thailand and gets a Ministers position,  still bullet proof.  The center of the fake universe where convicts and thieves rule the country.

[grego49]

Dont know why they bothered taking it to court we all knew what the result would be,,,

[Rampant Rabbit]

On return to Thailand he resumed a career in the armed forces, which was interrupted when he spent three years in custody as a murder suspect before being acquitted.

[thequietman]

12 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

He was not convicted by a Thai court and there is the rub.  He is bullet proof. Could have been a mass murderer convicted in the US, served 40 years is paroled returns to Thailand and gets a Ministers position,  still bullet proof.  The center of the fake universe where convicts and thieves rule the country.

and the cherry on the cake ...................

 

On return to Thailand he resumed a career in the armed forces, which was interrupted when he spent three years in custody as a murder suspect before being acquitted.  ????

[kotsak]

23 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

From the article in the Thaiger:

"The Court maintained that, as the case was tried in another country other than Thailand, his conviction has no bearing on his standing as a member of parliament in Thailand. That same standard doesn’t hold for foreigners who enter Thailand with foreign court convictions, which are used to deny them entry."

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/drugs/thammanat-prompow-is-cleared-to-continue-serving-as-an-mp-and-cabinet-minister

 

Basically they have just admitted there is a double standard for themselves and foreigners.

 

What despicable, inadequate, little people.

It's funny when you think about it, when you apply for permanent residency here in Thailand they require criminal records from your recent place(s) of residence. Bloody hypocrites..

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

2 minutes ago, kotsak said:

It's funny when you think about it, when you apply for permanent residency here in Thailand they require criminal records from your recent place(s) of residence. Bloody hypocrites..

 

 

Thai criminal records here are much like everything else in the country; a badly run joke.

 

I know of two Thai felons that received visas and have visited Australia when their convictions prohibit them from being eligible. One actually received a work visa and is now settled there I believe.

 

They take us for absolute mugs. 

[Forza2002]

From memory was the Minister not part of the personal body guard unit for the King so perhaps he is getting protection from above? He has also changed his name 3 or 4 times, I guess in the hope that people will not link him to his past misdemeanors? 

[WineOh]

a classic case of friends in high places.

 

Clearly this man has no shame at all.

 

He knows a hell of a lot more than you would think, though. I know that for a fact.

[Disparate Dan]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"the defendant does not have qualities prohibited for an MP,” said a judge

Quite the opposite. Eminently qualified. With Australian credentials, even. But as another poster has already mentioned, his connections to those who would prefer to do their work in Germany trump anything a mere Aussie court of law could come up with.

Perfect illustration of why 'move out of Thailand' is so popular. This [deleted] will probably be the one to get that closed down............

[herfiehandbag]

28 minutes ago, WineOh said:

a classic case of friends in high places.

 

Clearly this man has no shame at all.

 

He knows a hell of a lot more than you would think. I know that for a fact.

He is about as well connected as is possible for a Thai politician in the current regime.

[sammieuk1]

The ruling was made by the constitutional institutional court as its now known ????

[ThailandRyan]

4 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

The ruling was made by the constitutional institutional court as its now known ????

in the town and city known as Gotham Bangkok City with the new wing of the new parliament building being named the New Arkham Asylum where the convicted and criminally insane denizens of politics preside. 

[ikke1959]

Amazing Thailand... if he had media shares he was banned for 10 years... Now he is involved in drugs no problem.. If you protest against the government you will be jailed for section 112 .. Justice is far away in Thailand and  I hope the eyes of the people will open  one day and that they do what they did in 1789 in France 

[Golden Triangle]

As Victor Meldrew would say " I don't bloody believe it !! " but we all knew this was gonna be the decision, justice here stinks.

[candide]

4 hours ago, Disparate Dan said:

Quite the opposite. Eminently qualified. With Australian credentials, even. But as another poster has already mentioned, his connections to those who would prefer to do their work in Germany trump anything a mere Aussie court of law could come up with.

Perfect illustration of why 'move out of Thailand' is so popular. This [deleted] will probably be the one to get that closed down............

Actually, he's a small player in that department, as he only smuggled some drug. Could it be that others may have been much bigger players (arms and gems maybe?) but have got unnoticed?* His bad luck was that it happened in OZ, so it could not have been covered up and buried.

* my lawyer told me to phrase it in interrogative mode ????

[Damrongsak]

"... the defendant does not have qualities prohibited for an MP..."

 

That's right, he does not have integrity, morals or honesty. 

[webfact]

Thai ruling thwarts opposition bid to disqualify minister over drugs link

 

FILE PHOTO: Thailand's Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao talks to reporters after a government cabinet meeting in Bangkok, Thailand September 10, 2019. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled that a prominent politician should keep his cabinet post, thwarting opposition moves to disqualify him over news reports he was jailed in Australia for drug trafficking in the 1990s.

 

The ruling said that Thammanat Prompao, a deputy agriculture minister and power-broker in Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's ruling coalition, did not violate the constitution because he had not been convicted by a Thai court.

 

"Although Thammanat received judgement, it was from a court in New South Wales, Australia ... but not a judgement from a Thai court and so is not prohibited from holding office based on constitution," it said in its decision.

 

Thammanat in 2019 denied wrongdoing and dismissed reports by two newspapers in Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, that he had been jailed there for four years on a drugs charge. The newspapers have stood by their stories.

 

In its decision on the complaint by 51 opposition politicians, the Thai court said it had requested from parliament and the foreign ministry evidence of the conviction, including Australian court rulings made in 1994 and 1995, which were not forthcoming.

 

Thammanat has said he had been caught with flour and not heroin. He has, however, admitted to having been convicted of an unspecified minor offence in Australia.

 

Thammanat was involved in forming the coalition led by Prayuth following an election in 2019 that saw him stay on as premier, five years after he led a military coup against an elected government.

Opposition parties have said the rules of that election were written to ensure victory for the party of Prayuth, which he rejects.

 

Prayuth has since consolidated power, helped by the Constitutional Court's disqualification of the opposition Future Forward Party, a decision that triggered months of youth-led protests demanding his resignation.

 

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Martin Petty)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-05-06

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[RichardColeman]

7 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled today (Wednesday) that Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompow, who was found guilty of drug trafficking by an Australian court in 1993, can retain his ministerial post and MP status, despite the conviction.

[Mango Bob]

Someone has to be paying the court.  This man is guilty and should not be in the current government.  Just showing much corruption in the Thai government.  I bet he go all his vaccine shots also.  This guy should be thrown out in the streets.  

[Andycoops]

Another nail in the coffin for Thai democracy and transparency.

The courts and institutions of government are all bought and paid for which rather makes a joke of farangs having to provide criminal records to the Thais as with this ruling they are clearly not recognised.

[Rampant Rabbit]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The newspapers have stood by their stories.

I bet that really pees off the authorities  here that they can't  silence them, really. Long  live the real world.