Courts Of Justice Deny US$150 Million Bribe Offer To Influence Verdict On Thaksin Assets

[webfact]

UPDATE

Court secretary says judges not biased against Thaksin

BANGKOK: -- The secretary of the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of the Political Office said Monday that judges are not a party in the conflicts and are not biased against former prime minister Thakisin Shinawatra.

Anurak Sanga-areekul, the secretary of the division, said judges were not bent on making a verdict in farour of or against anyone but the judges will make their ruling based on facts.

"I would like to remind the public that judges are not a party in the conflicts," Anurak said, referring to the planned protest by red-shirt people on Friday when the Supreme Court will read the verdict of the assets seizure case against Thaksin.

-- The Nation 2010-02-22

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[slapout]

This rumor and coverage reminds me of the deaths attributed to the mysterious phone calls to the mobil phones several days ago in northern Thailand. The whole scenario would be laughable if not for the real potential for people ending up in harms way before this circle jerk is finished.

[paulandmaneerat]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz .......

[randy22801]

have been offered five billion baht (US$150 million) in bribes to influence the verdict

does anyone else notice the bad currency conversion??? $150 million US is only worth five million baht

[junglist]

If Thaksin was smart he would take (or announce that) all the money in question would be given to the people of Thailand for the construction of new schools and hospitals. He is probably going to lose it all anyways why not let it fall were it is needed not in to the pockets of the corrupt. It is his only chance to regain some Karma from all the wicked deeds he has done. Last chance for redemption.

Good Idea i would like to see that happen,not that i think he has done wicked deeds iam not a judge or jury,but for him to build new schools and hospitals for the people who need them,not the rich who have them ?

Thaksin never pulled the trigger but his pawns fallowed his orders to the T. His war on drugs was terrible and what he did to the Children of Abraham down south is unforgivable. I hope this blood money is used for good but I have little faith in Thai government.

[nonghoidave]

Who is offering the Alleged bribe, Red or yellow?

Can you read?????? Do you comprehend if you do????????

The *first* sentence in article: "The Courts of Justice in Bangkok have denied a report that judges considering the case of Thailand's fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra's assets have been offered five billion baht (US$150 million) in bribes...."

There was no bribe. There was no bribe offered.

Jebus.

[nonghoidave]

have been offered five billion baht (US$150 million) in bribes to influence the verdict

does anyone else notice the bad currency conversion??? $150 million US is only worth five million baht

Thanks for showing the forum you are clueless!!!

[scania]

He affirmed that to date no judges have reported attempted bribe offers.

I dont think i would report the bribe either if i was a judge...

Of cause not, but still it´s a sad thing that would mean there is no justice, which is very bad, but let´s hope it´s the reality that there where no bribes at all.

[MaiChai]

Its very difficult for the legal system to not be influenced by the government in power. The government were able to influence the legal system in Taksin's time, thus I can't see how it would be different now. Thus I would be very surprised if Taksin gets his money back. But then again there are all sorts of twists and turns that happen in the background that we are unaware of, so who knows exactly what will happen. A fair verdict in my opinion would be to give him some money back, with the government seizing a large percentage of it, which was only obtained by Taksin manipulating things to his advantage when he was in power. Maybe siezing all of it would reduce his ability to fight back, and thus be a clever way of preventing him returning to power? So maybe that is the plan? I can't think anyone wants such a dictator type figure to return to power?

[earlbrownuk]

Been watching Bloomberg today it states that Thailand and Taiwan has finally come out of recession.

Has Thailand come out of recession, due to the fact it has TKs money in the bank getting interest on it.

The tourist areas might have come out of recession due to the festive holidays, but all the other providences are still recovering.

[meelousee]

And so now we see the you know what! They did it to each other now they do it to one another

[landofthefree]

As a outsider, it is hard if not impossible to begin to understand the complexities of Thai politics. Even as a citizen of the USA, I would be hard pressed to try and explain the "true" workings of the American political system. There are just too many conflicting interests.

Thai politics is very simple to understand. The military and elite (rich and powerful people) run the country in a similar way to the way Burma is run. If the aforementioned dont like the Government they replace it by using force. Most Thais accept this system and show apathy to politics (who can blame them?)except when money is involved ie demonstrators usually get paid for demonstrating.The Thaksin issue is also all about money, the reason its a big issue is that one rich individual fell out of favour with the rest of the rich elite and now they are bringing him back into line. Hope this explains it to you.

[YouYouYou]

I wait for Friday with bated breath, but it could well turn out to be a 'no decision at this time' due to technicalities etc. However, if they seize the lot one side will call it political meddling ...if not, then 5 judges have become rich (as some may argue).

It's all a big smokescreen as usual and hard to find the truth .... so much goes on in the background that only those at those at the highest level really know what is going on.

I think we can mull over this issue all we like at the mo' but never find the truth to this 'bribery allegation' ..... in retrospect we may and we'll all just have to wait for Friday and beyond.

Good luck Thailand, but either way it goes (unless a 'no decision') I think there is more trouble ahead

[ableguy]

Not surprised. A desperate man.

Oh please, the desperate man is Abhisit!

It's easier for those in power and barely holding on to make such false accusations.

Do you seriously think someone with Thaksin's connections would do it with such lack of discretion.

The Democrats attempts to arrest the guy has proven what lame ducks they are....the international community and interpol are just ignoring their "requests"....all foreign investors (not expats living in thailand and playing politics they have no vote in) just want the mess to go away so everyone (thais, foreign investors) can go on with life and have Thailand be the fast grower in SE Asia once again.

The idiots that started the Thaksin coup destroyed that growth and everyone from the average Thai to foreginer corps to foreigners with litigimate (and even illegitimate) investments in Siam have been hurt......the man's politics were populist and maybe it wasn't good for the country in the long long term, but all was going well for everyone until that coup....give it ten years and the moronic leaders of the coup and the yellow shirts will be seen for what they are....the corrupt old guard that tried to hold on to power when the corrupt new guard that wanted to move to free markets threatened them.

Just let it all go away and let the country move on....all these stupid court trials are politicized and will just keep the Thai economy in crap city.

The main corrupt person in this saga was Thaksin, remember his war on drugs? murdered 2500 people ( according to the UN ) and if you were here then you would know this, married to a gal up North are we?

[ableguy]

Not surprised. A desperate man.

Oh please, the desperate man is Abhisit!

It's easier for those in power and barely holding on to make such false accusations.

Do you seriously think someone with Thaksin's connections would do it with such lack of discretion.

The Democrats attempts to arrest the guy has proven what lame ducks they are....the international community and interpol are just ignoring their "requests"....all foreign investors (not expats living in thailand and playing politics they have no vote in) just want the mess to go away so everyone (thais, foreign investors) can go on with life and have Thailand be the fast grower in SE Asia once again.

The idiots that started the Thaksin coup destroyed that growth and everyone from the average Thai to foreginer corps to foreigners with litigimate (and even illegitimate) investments in Siam have been hurt......the man's politics were populist and maybe it wasn't good for the country in the long long term, but all was going well for everyone until that coup....give it ten years and the moronic leaders of the coup and the yellow shirts will be seen for what they are....the corrupt old guard that tried to hold on to power when the corrupt new guard that wanted to move to free markets threatened them.

Just let it all go away and let the country move on....all these stupid court trials are politicized and will just keep the Thai economy in crap city.

The main corrupt person in this saga was Thaksin, remember his war on drugs? murdered 2500 people ( according to the UN ) and if you were here then you would know this, married to a gal up North are we?

Got a red in bed have we?

[mythBuster]

As a outsider, it is hard if not impossible to begin to understand the complexities of Thai politics. Even as a citizen of the USA, I would be hard pressed to try and explain the "true" workings of the American political system. There are just too many conflicting interests.

Thai politics is very simple to understand. The military and elite (rich and powerful people) run the country in a similar way to the way Burma is run. If the aforementioned dont like the Government they replace it by using force. Most Thais accept this system and show apathy to politics (who can blame them?)except when money is involved ie demonstrators usually get paid for demonstrating.The Thaksin issue is also all about money, the reason its a big issue is that one rich individual fell out of favour with the rest of the rich elite and now they are bringing him back into line. Hope this explains it to you.

That is precisely what happens here. They assumed Thaksin was one of "them" and when he turned out to keep his promises he had to go.

[mythBuster]

Been watching Bloomberg today it states that Thailand and Taiwan has finally come out of recession.

Has Thailand come out of recession, due to the fact it has TKs money in the bank getting interest on it.

The tourist areas might have come out of recession due to the festive holidays, but all the other providences are still recovering.

Not according this government. Their very reliable statistics bureau, most probably led by a Greek, claims that even the unemployment stands on less than 2%. That is probably why they try to expel 2 million Burmese with a work permit, they need the jobs even though there is almost full employment.

[gtm2k]

If it was my 76.6 billion I would offer more then 6%!!!!!!!

Haahahahahah !!!! I did the same math too.......... no wonder the news is apparently not true anymore !

[robenroute]

Well said! While many of us may have opinions, as guests we should keep them to ourselves. It is a situation only the Thai have the right to deal with.

Remarks like this one never seize to amaze me. The fact that you're a "guest" somewhere doesn't simply mean you have no right to deal with the issue (verbally). There are plenty of non-Thai in Thailand that have vested interests and, hence, have opinions and/or concerns they understandably and rightfully want to express. It certainly is good practice to take your host's feelings and sensitivities into consideration when venting your opinion, but it doesn't mean you have to permanently put a lid on it. It's also good to first think and then speak... And when you finally decide to speak, bear in mind "c'est le ton qui fait la musique". If I read through these forums, I'm somewhat puzzled by the amount of posts that seem to come from the gut, directly. Without having given it a thought.

(and yes, I have given this post a thought, or two, before posting )

Enjoy your day!

Robenroute

[edited for typos]

Edited February 22, 2010 by robenroute

[ozzieovaseas]

Well said! While many of us may have opinions, as guests we should keep them to ourselves. It is a situation only the Thai have the right to deal with.

Remarks like this one never seize to amaze me. The fact that you're a "guest" somewhere doesn't simply mean you have no right to deal with the issue (verbally). There are plenty of non-Thai in Thailand that have vested interests and, hence, have opinions and/or concerns they understandably and rightfully want to express. It certainly is good practice to take your host's feelings and sensitivities into consideration when venting your opinion, but it doesn't mean you have to permanently put a lid on it. It's also good to first think and then speak... And when you finally decide to speak, bear in mind "c'est le ton qui fait la musique". If I read through these forums, I'm somewhat puzzled by the amount of posts that seem to come from the gut, directly. Without having given it a thought.

(and yes, I have given this post a thought, or two, before posting )

Enjoy your day!

Robenroute

[edited for typos]

You didnt give much thought to us uneducated commoners

lecturing us about freedom of speech and then writing the moral of the story in french

[robenroute]

You didnt give much thought to us uneducated commoners

lecturing us about freedom of speech and then writing the moral of the story in french

Nice one. Point taken... (but how did you "uneducated commoner" know it was French? )

Edited February 22, 2010 by robenroute

[overhaul38]

As a outsider, it is hard if not impossible to begin to understand the complexities of Thai politics. Even as a citizen of the USA, I would be hard pressed to try and explain the "true" workings of the American political system. There are just too many conflicting interests.

I would like to read one forum without some idiot bashing the U.S.. For some reason there is always one moron who wants to drag the U.S. into the story whether it has any bearing or not. Just stick to the issue and leave the gratuitous snide remarks out.

[Ricardo]

To avoid troubling the lunch-delivery man, or Thaksin's lawyers, does anyone think that the judges might take an IOU ?

[ozzieovaseas]

You didnt give much thought to us uneducated commoners

lecturing us about freedom of speech and then writing the moral of the story in french

Nice one. Point taken... (but how did you "uneducated commoner" know it was French? )

well, even i've heard its supposed to be the sexiest language on earth..and well.. you know..it kinda looked a bit-of-ok

so are you gonna translate or keep us all in suspense

[Grey11]

Who is offering the Alleged bribe, Red or yellow?

Red

Agreed. Thaksin has his army heading to Bkk from the north. Certainly he has tried to bribe the judges. Criminality is his game.

[overhaul38]

You didnt give much thought to us uneducated commoners

lecturing us about freedom of speech and then writing the moral of the story in french

Nice one. Point taken... (but how did you "uneducated commoner" know it was French? )

well, even i've heard its supposed to be the sexiest language on earth..and well.. you know..it kinda looked a bit-of-ok

so are you gonna translate or keep us all in suspense

c'est le ton qui fait la musique "The tone makes the music "its not what you say its how you say it"....

[geriatrickid]

TV's armchair detectives weigh in. More nonsense.

[ozzieovaseas]

You didnt give much thought to us uneducated commoners

lecturing us about freedom of speech and then writing the moral of the story in french

Nice one. Point taken... (but how did you "uneducated commoner" know it was French? )

well, even i've heard its supposed to be the sexiest language on earth..and well.. you know..it kinda looked a bit-of-ok

so are you gonna translate or keep us all in suspense

c'est le ton qui fait la musique "The tone makes the music "its not what you say its how you say it"....

hehe..thanks..how nice...i never woulda guessed

Geriatrickid: Yes, Us TV detectives have no choice but to be satisfied with our loungechair roles..

no work permits available for our line of work and as respectable farangs we ALWAYS follow the letter of the law

Edited February 22, 2010 by ozzieovaseas

[LannaRed]

Not surprised. A desperate man.

Oh please, the desperate man is Abhisit!

It's easier for those in power and barely holding on to make such false accusations.

Do you seriously think someone with Thaksin's connections would do it with such lack of discretion.

The Democrats attempts to arrest the guy has proven what lame ducks they are....the international community and interpol are just ignoring their "requests"....all foreign investors (not expats living in thailand and playing politics they have no vote in) just want the mess to go away so everyone (thais, foreign investors) can go on with life and have Thailand be the fast grower in SE Asia once again.

The idiots that started the Thaksin coup destroyed that growth and everyone from the average Thai to foreginer corps to foreigners with litigimate (and even illegitimate) investments in Siam have been hurt......the man's politics were populist and maybe it wasn't good for the country in the long long term, but all was going well for everyone until that coup....give it ten years and the moronic leaders of the coup and the yellow shirts will be seen for what they are....the corrupt old guard that tried to hold on to power when the corrupt new guard that wanted to move to free markets threatened them.

Just let it all go away and let the country move on....all these stupid court trials are politicized and will just keep the Thai economy in crap city.

The main corrupt person in this saga was Thaksin, remember his war on drugs? murdered 2500 people ( according to the UN ) and if you were here then you would know this, married to a gal up North are we?

Got a red in bed have we?

These types of remarks are totally uncalled for -- they are denigrating to women, and more so to to Thai women, who are merely expressing their political convictions.

If you can not make intelligent observations and comments, please crawl back into your cave, and think about it .

This thread is about the alleged offering of bribes to judges -- by extension, it is also about the controversies surrounding Mr. Thaksin -- and further about the class struggle between the elite and the downtrodden commoners in Thailand .

It is not about sexism and insults in poor taste.

[zaZa9]

Not surprised. A desperate man.

Oh please, the desperate man is Abhisit!

It's easier for those in power and barely holding on to make such false accusations.

Do you seriously think someone with Thaksin's connections would do it with such lack of discretion.

The Democrats attempts to arrest the guy has proven what lame ducks they are....the international community and interpol are just ignoring their "requests"....all foreign investors (not expats living in thailand and playing politics they have no vote in) just want the mess to go away so everyone (thais, foreign investors) can go on with life and have Thailand be the fast grower in SE Asia once again.

The idiots that started the Thaksin coup destroyed that growth and everyone from the average Thai to foreginer corps to foreigners with litigimate (and even illegitimate) investments in Siam have been hurt......the man's politics were populist and maybe it wasn't good for the country in the long long term, but all was going well for everyone until that coup....give it ten years and the moronic leaders of the coup and the yellow shirts will be seen for what they are....the corrupt old guard that tried to hold on to power when the corrupt new guard that wanted to move to free markets threatened them.

Just let it all go away and let the country move on....all these stupid court trials are politicized and will just keep the Thai economy in crap city.

Agree as well...the 2 elections Taksin won were considered by International Monitors to be the most transparent ever in Thai political history if I remember correctly...

The Bangkok elite seized power in a most appalling way if viewed in terms of International security , 'one citizen :one vote' and tourism terms, and now want to be the pot calling the kettle black!

Any news on where the confiscated money will end up?