Thailand to establish dedicated appeal court for narcotics cases

The Supreme Court of Thailand has set in motion plans to establish a dedicated appeal court for narcotics cases, aiming to expedite the legal process for confiscating assets of drug networks.

This initiative follows a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin and the newly appointed Supreme Court president, Anocha Chevitsophon.

The deputy prime minister requested guidance from Anocha Chevitsophon on handling narcotics cases, which presently account for over 85% of incarcerations in the country. He expressed the government’s desire to decrease this percentage by prioritising the immediate seizure of drug networks’ assets upon the arrest of suspects.

Somsak said the differentiation of cases by category will enhance authorities’ capacity to accelerate the freezing of drug networks’ assets.

Somsak also highlighted the new illicit drug law’s emphasis on asset freezing, asserting that this method has proven effective in dismantling drug networks.

by Mitch Connor

Photo: Shutterstock.

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-18

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