Former Defence Minister Gen Thammarak Gets Three-Year Jail Term

[webfact]

THAI RAK THAI DISSOLUTION CASE

Gen Thammarak gets three-year jail term

The Nation

Gen Thammarak arrives at the Court House.//Photo : Kunlaphun Sirimamporn

BANGKOK: -- The Criminal Court Wednesday sentenced former Thai Rak Thai deputy leader Thammarak Issarangkula to three years and four months in jail for hiring an official to tamper with the Election Commission's political party database.

Thammarak, a former defence minister, was charged with collaborating with two men to hire a member of the operations staff at the EC Office to change the EC database to state that the Nanachart Thai was eligible to contest the election. The EC official was given Bt30,000 by Thammarak, the court was told.

The court ruled that evidence showed that Thammarak did hire the official to tamper with the database so he was given the jail term without suspension. Thammarak can appeal against the ruling with the Appeals Court.

The court also sentenced the EC official to five years in jail.

The database tampering case is a fallout from the Thai Rak Thai dissolution case.

In 2007, the Constitution Court found Thammarak guilty of hiring smaller parties to contest the April 2, 2006 election and dissolved the party and banned 111 executive from politics for five years.

The ruling against Thammarak came on the same day as the fiveyear political ban expired.

Following the protests by the yellowshirt supporters, then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra dissolved the House but the Thai Rak Thai was the only major party contesting the election as opposition parties decided to boycott the poll. Without rivals, the Thai Rak Thai had to win at least 20 per cent of votes in each constituency, which would have been impossible in southern provinces.

-- The Nation 2012-05-30

[webfact]

Court grants Bt500,000 bail to ex-defence minister Thammarak; he plans to appeal case for hiring smaller parties to contest election /MCOT

[PoorSucker]

Bailed out and soon getting amnesty.

[LuckyLew]

I heard a rumor that Thaksin is getting a new room mate in Dubai

[OzMick]

"The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine." Traditional proverb

[Buchholz]

This is a dramatic step to not suspend his jail time.

Interesting that he got less time than the Election Commission official did... but then, the EC official will likely have the benefit of a visit from Chuwit, who has a soft spot for these guys.

A proud tradition of visiting prisoners was exemplified by Chart Thai Party Deputy Leader Chuwit visiting the Election Commissioners and benevolently bringing them fried rice and iced coffee in July 2006 after they were convicted of malfeasance in office and incarcerated when their bail was refused.

"Tam Boon Dee"

[bigbamboo]

Looks like the reconciliation bill might need another spot of fine tuning.

[Buchholz]

Court jails ex-minister as political ban on former TRT execs ends

BANGKOK, May 30 - Former Thai Rak Thai Party executives celebrate the expiration of their five-year ban from politics on Wednesday as the Criminal Court handed down a 40 month jail term for former Party Deputy Leader and Defence Minister Thammarak Issarangura Na Ayutthaya for poll fraud.

The Constitution Court in 2007 dissolved the Thai Rak Thai party, headed by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after two senior Party members, including Thammarak, were found guilty of election law violations by bribing candidates from smaller parties to compete in particular constituencies to ensure the minimum of 20-per cent eligible votes to win the seat in 2006 election was achieved.

In today’s action Thammarak was given a jail term without suspension as the Criminal Court judges found him guilty of ordering state officials to commit malfeasance. The former defence minister was charged with hiring Amornwit Suwannapha, an election official, and three others to revise the database of Pattanachartthai Party members so that those who were disqualified could run against Thai Rak Thai party candidates in the April 2, 2006 election, as the election results could satisfy the requirements of the law. Mr Amornwit received 30,000 baht in return.

Mr Amornwit was handed a five-year jail term without suspension, while the three others received 40 months jail each.

Mr Thammarak was later granted bail with a Bt500,000 bond.

The court ruling was delivered on the same day as the five-year political ban on the former Thai Rak Thai party executives expired. The day began with a merit-making rite and other activities joined by Mr Thammarak's political companions. Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to phone in to a seminar at a Bangkok hotel in the evening to air his grievances from the 2006 coup which removed him from power.

-- TNA 2012-05-30

[gand]

Will he even serve a day?

[Buchholz]

Will he even serve a day?

It would further the course of justice is he does.

.

[OzMick]

Will he even serve a day?

It would further the course of justice is he does.

Along with quite a few others. They could hold party meetings in their cell.

[Bagwan]

I was impressed with the number of good, honest, upright citizens this crook took along to offer him moral support. He and his kind couldn't tell a moral right from a thick brown envelope.

[Thaddeus]

Will he even serve a day?

If there is even a sniff of the cuffs coming out, he'll be out of the back door and heading to swampy quicker than you can say "First class to Dubai please"

[Buchholz]

Thailand's Former Deputy Defence Minister Jailed for Election Fraud

General Thammarak Issarangkul-na- Ayutthaya, the former defence minister and deputy leader of the defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, along with three other co-defendants were sentenced to three years and four months in jail without suspension for electoral fraud by the Criminal Court on Wednesday.

Thammarak was alleged of paying an EC official to tamper with the EC's database to enable members of the Pattana Chart Thai Party to run in the April 2, 2006 election which was boycotted by the then opposition Democrat Party. The then ruling Thai Rak Thai Party was motivated to field unqualified members of the Pattana Chart Thai Party as they tried to avoid an election requirement that its candidates must gain at least 20 percent of all eligible votes in a provided constituency if only one candidate competes in that constituency.

This election fraud later led to dissolution of Thai Rak Thai Party and a five-year ban for its 111 members in May 2007.

Continued:

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2012/05/30/3124s702953.htm

Xinhua - May 30, 2012

[moe666]

These are the criminal element a few of our members love to support, they do seem to be absent. Interesting that they are found guilty during the governance of an extension of their party.

[bigbamboo]

Will he even serve a day?

If there is even a sniff of the cuffs coming out, he'll be out of the back door and heading to swampy quicker than you can say "First class to Dubai please"

Any truth in the rumour he has asked to be allowed to go to the Olympics first?

[Thaddeus]

Will he even serve a day?

If there is even a sniff of the cuffs coming out, he'll be out of the back door and heading to swampy quicker than you can say "First class to Dubai please"

Any truth in the rumour he has asked to be allowed to go to the Olympics first?

Don't think so, even though he has qualified for the high jump.

[Crushdepth]

Another quality politician brought to you courtesy of Thaksin Inc.