Pheu Thai MPs get one year jail terms for insulting Constitution Court president

BANGKOK, July 31 - Thailand's Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced ruling Pheu Thai Party spokesperson Prompong Nopparit and a fellow Pheu Thai MP Kiatudom Menasawas to one year in prison for insulting the president of the Constitution Court.

The ruling follows Mr Prompong, a Pheu Thai party-list MP and Mr Kiatudom, MP for Udon Thani June 8 news conference accusing Constitution Court President Wasan Soipisut with behaving inappropriately, and violating judge's ethics, injustice and partiality.

The charter court president filed a libel suit against the two members of parliament for insulting him and tarnishing his reputation.

The court said it found Mr Prompong and Mr Kiatudom guilty as they did not verify the accuracy of their information before holding a news conference and they intentionally expressed their views for political gain, aiming to damage Mr Pisut's reputation.

The court therefore handed down one year jail terms for the two lawmakers and ordered them to pay fines of Bt50,000 each.

As the two were not previously convicted, the court suspended their punishment for two years and ordered them to publish the court's verdict in three newspapers for seven days.

Mr Prompong said he accepted the court ruling but is preparing to appeal the case. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-07-31

Good news.

Bleh, suspended sentences... i will cheer the day these crooks start serving actual time!

Good news.

What is good? "the court suspended their punishment for two years" basically they went free without punishment.

Bleh, suspended sentences... i will cheer the day these crooks start serving actual time!

They are too rich to serve.....Rich people don't go in jail. Not in Thailand and not in other countries.

Bleh, suspended sentences... i will cheer the day these crooks start serving actual time!

They are too rich to serve.....Rich people don't go in jail. Not in Thailand and not in other countries.

Jutaporn served time...

/Edit: No where near enough, i agree... short by about 70-80 years IMHO

Good news.

What is good? "the court suspended their punishment for two years" basically they went free without punishment.

I missed the last lines.

Bleh, suspended sentences... i will cheer the day these crooks start serving actual time!

Agreed. Once again we have a misleading headline

Bleh, suspended sentences... i will cheer the day these crooks start serving actual time!

They are too rich to serve.....Rich people don't go in jail. Not in Thailand and not in other countries.

Jutaporn served time...

/Edit: No where near enough, i agree... short by about 70-80 years IMHO

OK some short time.....I saw that pictures were the red leaders were jailed.....on the beach in private beach clothes with the family coming for a barbecue together and the staff there helping.

The court said it found Mr Prompong and Mr Kiatudom guilty as they did not verify the accuracy of their information before holding a news conference and they intentionally expressed their views for political gain, aiming to damage Mr Pisut's reputation.

Does that mean that the information was accurate, but it just hadn't been verified?

Mr Prompong said he accepted the court ruling but is preparing to appeal the case.

Translated to English, that means that he is NOT accepting the court ruling.

It may mean he wishes to appeal/negotiate the severity of the penalty, but accepts the correctness of the ruling.... and it might not.

It may mean he wishes to appeal/negotiate the severity of the penalty, but accepts the correctness of the ruling.... and it might not.

Difficult to believe that any of the PT 'democrats' have any respect for the CC. I'd suggest it's a definite 'not'.

Definitely not crooks

Definitely not crooks

Would appear the courts disagree with you...

All I can hope, is that the Thai version conveys its meaning a bit better than this.

Does this mean that a considered, researched and provably correct opinion wouldn't have got them into trouble?

Anyway, they clearly did wrong, so, good they got some type of punishment for their conduct, but sometimes, I really wonder about the decision making process to categorise offences.

It is a shot across Thaksin's bows not to think he can use the PTP and/or the reds to undermine the institutions of the state with impunity.

Mind you the guys doing it are just pushing their way to the front a la Jatuporn and hope to get a doggy biscuit as reward.

The convictions are the equivalent of getting a stick across the nose.

outrageous curtailment of civil liberty

outrageous curtailment of civil liberty

The "right to tell lies"?

outrageous curtailment of civil liberty

The "right to tell lies"?

The right to do anything they god dam_n please, after all they bought won the election!

So who is paying the fine? Thaksin?

So who is paying the fine? Thaksin?

Standby perhaps for an appeal to the poor Red-Shirt supporters, to contribute voluntarily out of their hard-won earnings, as it's more democratic than permitting the 'Big Boss' to pay himself ?

So who is paying the fine? Thaksin?

50K is nothing for someone in politics...

Ok. So no punishment. Again.. A suspended jail term is the worse punishment MPs, rich and powerful people here in the LOS will ever get.

The court said it found Mr Prompong and Mr Kiatudom guilty

As they were both found guilty, it is with the interest of fairness that in addition to the photo of Prompong posted in the OP, a photo of Pheu Thai Party MP Kiatudom also be posted

His official Parliament public portrait photo

FULL NAME Mr. KIATUDOM MENASAHWAT

OCCUPATION Politician

outrageous curtailment of civil liberty

The "right to tell lies"?

MP's must have their privilege to question and interrogate any institution - it's in their JD and they should be allowed to question Courts (as in every other country INCLUDING yours).

Please show me the MP Job description you refer to.... thanks!

So who is paying the fine? Thaksin?

I read it as being suspended along with the jail time.....meaning all its going to cost them is the publishing bill....which will likelyt be at no charge in three Issan newspapers in the classified section.

outrageous curtailment of civil liberty

The "right to tell lies"?

MP's must have their privilege to question and interrogate any institution - it's in their JD and they should be allowed to question Courts (as in every other country INCLUDING yours).

Privilege to question - Yes "Interrogate" - not sure that would be the correct term Call the picollo-player a <disguised profanity removed> as these two did - No

outrageous curtailment of civil liberty

The "right to tell lies"?

MP's must have their privilege to question and interrogate any institution - it's in their JD and they should be allowed to question Courts (as in every other country INCLUDING yours).

Yes. They have that privilege while in parliament. Not while fronting and inciting a mob at a rally.

outrageous curtailment of civil liberty

Right, civil liberty for everyone, human rights for everyone .... in the monkeys house.