Thai PM summoned by anti-graft panel

[webfact]

Thai PM summoned by anti-graft panel

BANGKOK, February 27, 2014 (AFP) - Thailand's prime minister has been summoned to face an anti-corruption panel Thursday to hear negligence charges that could lead to her removal from office, following months of mass opposition protests.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who has protested her innocence, is expected to send a lawyer to represent her at the hearing into alleged corruption in her government's flagship rice farm subsidy scheme.

She said last week that she was "willing to cooperate to establish the facts".

Yingluck flew to her political stronghold in northern Thailand on Wednesday where she is expected to spend several days inspecting government-backed projects.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which summoned Yingluck, says she ignored warnings that the rice scheme was fostering corruption and causing financial losses.

If found guilty she could face a five-year ban from politics.

NACC commissioner Vicha Mahakhun told AFP on the eve of the hearing that Yingluck's lawyer had informed the panel he would represent the premier to acknowledge the charges.

It is unclear how long the commission will take to reach a conclusion.

If the panel decides that Yingluck is guilty, the case will be referred to the partially elected upper house of parliament for an impeachment vote.

Opposition protesters, who have occupied parts of the capital for nearly four months, want Yingluck to step aside in favour of an unelected "people's council" to tackle what they see as corruption and a culture of money-driven politics.

A wave of political violence, often targeting protesters, has left 22 people dead and hundreds wounded, with almost daily reports of gunshots and grenade blasts in the capital recently.

The demonstrators accuse Yingluck's elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra -- a billionaire tycoon-turned-premier who was ousted from office by royalist generals in 2006 -- of running the government from overseas, where he lives to avoid a jail term for corruption.

Critics say the subsidy scheme, which guarantees farmers above-market rates for rice, has encouraged corruption, drained the public coffers and left the country with a mountain of unsold stock.

But government supporters see the charges as part of an attempted "judicial coup" by Thaksin's opponents.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-02-27

[dcutman]

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who has protested her innocence

Odd way of protesting innocence.

Fail to show to see the evidence of exactly what you are being charged with. Crying you are being treated unfairly because your case has been called before another.

Most (all) innocent people would kicking the door in to show they are being wrongly accused.

[TVGerry]

She's doing a Suthep and going to ignore the charges.

Her lackeys are doing a PRDC and besieging the NACC offices.

Using the same tactics as the so called 'fascists', except they're supposed to be the 'legal' government! Same same but different!

[ratcatcher]

No doubt the red lawyers for the defense will be along shortly to protest. But, but, but me lord..........

[webfact]

Yingluck assigns lawyers to acknowledge charge



BANGKOK: -- Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has assigned her legal advisory team to acknowledge malfeasance charge against her at the office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

Ms Yingluck is still in the North today to inspect drought relief efforts by local authorities as well as drug suppression along the border.

She was told by the NACC to hear the malfeasance charge involving the rice-pledging scheme today at 10.00 a.m.

NACC commissioner Vicha Mahakhun said earlier if she refused to come and acknowledge the charge by herself, she would lose the chance to copy details of the charge that could be useful for her to defend herself.

Other person is not allowed to copy the details as it is confidential, he said earlier.

Under the NACC practice, if she does not come today, the NACC will send official notification to her again a week or two to acknowledge the charge. If she again refuses to come, then the NACC will officially indict her in the court of justice, and that her caretaker premier status will end.

The entire acknowledgement process before the indictment takes about a month , a legal expert said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2-18-2014-10-34-56-AM1-wpcf_728x413.jpg


-- Thai PBS 2014-02-27

[Luk Mhee]

This is like throwing an innocent and inexperienced lamb into a pack of hungry wolves.

[MK1]

She's doing a Suthep and going to ignore the charges.

Her lackeys are doing a PRDC and besieging the NACC offices.

Using the same tactics as the so called 'fascists', except they're supposed to be the 'legal' government! Same same but different!

Therefore, this gives rise to what’s good for the Gander is also just as good for the Goose !!

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed.

[sam sen]

If found guilty she could face a five-year ban from politics.

is that it - a five year ban from politics?! bet she's looking forward to being found guilty so she has an excuse for getting out of the mess she's created.

or is it incomplete reporting?

[culicine]

The next two or so weeks could be very interesting...if she loses the Caretaker position, then what?

[Thait Spot]

The next two or so weeks could be very interesting...if she loses the Caretaker position, then what?

I guess calls for a new election on the grounds of a major change in candidate

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[kikoman]

That article makes no sense as, they talk about "Corruption", the PDRC has been yelling Corruption but the NACC, only charge Yingluck with "Negligence".

Simple reason no Corruption could be found in Their investigation!

Cheers

[JRSoul]

The next two or so weeks could be very interesting...if she loses the Caretaker position, then what?

Besides the reds having a massive dummy spit?

[JRSoul]

That article makes no sense as, they talk about "Corruption", the PDRC has been yelling Corruption but the NACC, only charge Yingluck with "Negligence".

Simple reason no Corruption could be found in Their investigation!

Cheers

YET. Who said that investigation is complete and all outstanding charges have been laid?

Remember that the person being investigated reduced funding to the organisation investigating her by some 60%, so delays are inevitable. Hopefully, one of the side effects of that might be that her sentences don't run concurrently.

[pedro01]

The next two or so weeks could be very interesting...if she loses the Caretaker position, then what?

She will lose it well before then.

Cant be caretaker forever...

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[MaxLee]

Sorry dear NACC, you're too late, and your Office has been taken by Thaksin's most loyal brigade,... that's what you get for waiting for too many years of Warning...

[thaivapor]

That article makes no sense as, they talk about "Corruption", the PDRC has been yelling Corruption but the NACC, only charge Yingluck with "Negligence".

Simple reason no Corruption could be found in Their investigation!

Cheers

Wrong.

She has been charged with negligence REGARDING corruption in the rice scheme.

I don't think it has been difficult to find plenty of evidence of that seeing as we all know it is there and even yourself has to admit there is huge corruption there.

A year of investigation, I bet they have shitloads of evidence. The PM will be impeached for allowing it to happen... hence... Negligence!

It was her who repeatedly ignored warnings from many areas including her own ministers and major international agencies. It was her who still clings on to the bullshit rhetoric that it is a great scheme with no corruption.

So for now it is negligence and if they can pull her in to an active role in the corruption, then it will be escalated to corruption charges too. That will mean big prison sentence because by then she won't be in power, and therefor will be unable to pull strings to avert it such as getting her militias to block the NACC.

But then again you already know all this and you are simply trolling as usual.

Edited February 27, 2014 by thaivapor

[Nickymaster]

That article makes no sense as, they talk about "Corruption", the PDRC has been yelling Corruption but the NACC, only charge Yingluck with "Negligence".

Simple reason no Corruption could be found in Their investigation!

Cheers

I guess the money just vaporized then Klikoman.

[Nickymaster]

And which lawyer is going to represent her? YES. it's the cookie box lawyer Pichit Chuenban, . All fresh after a 6 months holiday in the monkey house.

The Supreme Court sentenced to six months in jail a legal team of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra over what is called “the Pastry Gate,” in which a supreme court official was given a pastry box filled with Bt2 million in cash.

The team members who each face six months in jail for violating the court’s authority are lawyer Pichit Chuenban, coordinator Thana Tansiri and clerk Supasri Srisawat.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/21407/thaksins-lawyers-go-to-jail/

[webfact]

Embattled Thai PM to miss anti-graft hearing
by Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI

BANGKOK, February 27, 2014 (AFP) - Thailand's premier is set to skip an anti-corruption panel hearing Thursday into negligence charges that could lead to her removal from office, as she grapples with a four-month deadly political crisis.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is fighting for her political survival as pressure mounts on several fronts -- in the streets, the courts and from the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

The backdrop is a long-standing struggle between a royalist establishment -- backed by the judiciary and the military -- and Yingluck's billionaire family which has strong support in the northern half of Thailand.

The prime minister's critics welcome the graft probe as a long-overdue attempt to hold the government to account, but to her supporters it is part of an attempted power grab.

Yingluck, who has protested her innocence, will not personally attend the appointment to acknowledge allegations linked to her government's flagship rice farm subsidy scheme, her office said.

"She assigned her lawyers to represent her," Yingluck's deputy secretary Thawat Boonfuang told AFP.

Yingluck flew to her political stronghold in northern Thailand on Wednesday where she is expected to spend several days inspecting government-backed projects.

She said last week that she was "willing to cooperate to establish the facts".

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which filed charges against Yingluck earlier this month, says she ignored warnings that the rice scheme was fostering corruption and causing financial losses.

If found guilty she could face a five-year ban from politics.

It is unclear how long the commission will take to reach a conclusion.

If the panel decides that Yingluck is guilty, the case will be referred to the partially elected upper house of parliament for an impeachment vote.

It follows a wave of political violence, often targeting protesters, that has left 22 people dead and hundreds wounded, with a string of shootings and grenade blasts by unknown attackers in recent days.

- Justice or judicial coup? -

The premier's opponents accuse the Shinawatra family of plundering the public coffers to win the votes of rural voters through populist policies such as the rice scheme.

But government supporters and some experts see the charges as part of an attempted "judicial coup" by Thaksin's foes within the royalist establishment without sending tanks onto the streets.

"These are elaborate plans to overthrow the government without actually staging a physical coup," said Verapat Pariyawong, a Harvard-educated lawyer and political commentator.

Dozens of pro-Yingluck lawmakers in the Senate, the upper house, face possible political bans over a failed attempt to amend the constitution to make the Senate fully elected.

Without a ruling party after protesters disrupted a February 2 election, a power vacuum could emerge, leaving the remaining unelected senators to appoint a new prime minister, according to legal experts.

Dozens of pro-government "Red Shirt" supporters gathered outside the NACC offices on the northern outskirts of Bangkok Thursday, a day after they padlocked its gates -- copying the tactics of opposition protesters who have blocked major state buildings.

Opposition protesters, who have occupied parts of the capital for nearly four months, want Yingluck to step aside in favour of an unelected "people's council" to tackle what they see as corruption and a culture of money-driven politics.

A Civil Court has ordered the government not to use force against the protesters, limiting its scope to deal with rallies that have sometimes descended into violence.

The kingdom's coup-prone army, which has voiced reluctance to get involved in the current standoff, this week began to set up dozens of security checkpoints around Bangkok.

The demonstrators accuse Yingluck's elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra -- a billionaire tycoon-turned-premier who was ousted from office by royalist generals in 2006 -- of running the government from overseas, where he lives to avoid a jail term for corruption.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-02-27

[Yunla]

Yingluck's chickens are finally coming home to roost, and they are all laying priceless Faberge eggs.

[clockman]

No shocks there, has any rich powerful person in Thailand. Ever been accountable. Or punished?

[ggold]

That article makes no sense as, they talk about "Corruption", the PDRC has been yelling Corruption but the NACC, only charge Yingluck with "Negligence".

Simple reason no Corruption could be found in Their investigation!

Cheers

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which summoned Yingluck, says she ignored warnings that the rice scheme was fostering corruption and causing financial losses.

Does that help you understand kikoman?

They found corruption and as PM she carries the can. Ignorance is not an alibi in the eyes of the law. Negligence charges is only the beginning!

Cheers

[Thait Spot]

That article makes no sense as, they talk about "Corruption", the PDRC has been yelling Corruption but the NACC, only charge Yingluck with "Negligence".

Simple reason no Corruption could be found in Their investigation!

Cheers

You're being a silly billy.

Charged with dereliction of duty and malfeasance.

I doubt very much that there is a charge for "corruption". It will be encapsulated in the malfeasance charge

[SoilSpoil]

No shocks there, has any rich powerful person in Thailand. Ever been accountable. Or punished?

Yes Thaksin was sentenced to 2 years in the dungeons! He escaped and went in exile, hoping he could buy/intimidate his way out of his situation.

So far: the more he digs, the deeper his hole.

[Lite Beer]

Embattled Thai PM to miss anti-graft hearing

by Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI

BANGKOK, February 27, 2014 (AFP) - Thailand's premier is set to skip an anti-corruption panel hearing Thursday into negligence charges that could lead to her removal from office, as she grapples with a four-month deadly political crisis.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is fighting for her political survival as pressure mounts on several fronts -- in the streets, the courts and from the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

The backdrop is a long-standing struggle between a royalist establishment -- backed by the judiciary and the military -- and Yingluck's billionaire family which has strong support in the northern half of Thailand.

The prime minister's critics welcome the graft probe as a long-overdue attempt to hold the government to account, but to her supporters it is part of an attempted power grab.

Yingluck, who has protested her innocence, will not personally attend the appointment to acknowledge allegations linked to her government's flagship rice farm subsidy scheme, her office said.

"She assigned her lawyers to represent her," Yingluck's deputy secretary Thawat Boonfuang told AFP.
Yingluck flew to her political stronghold in northern Thailand on Wednesday where she is expected to spend several days inspecting government-backed projects.

She said last week that she was "willing to cooperate to establish the facts".

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which filed charges against Yingluck earlier this month, says she ignored warnings that the rice scheme was fostering corruption and causing financial losses.

If found guilty she could face a five-year ban from politics.

It is unclear how long the commission will take to reach a conclusion.
If the panel decides that Yingluck is guilty, the case will be referred to the partially elected upper house of parliament for an impeachment vote.

It follows a wave of political violence, often targeting protesters, that has left 22 people dead and hundreds wounded, with a string of shootings and grenade blasts by unknown attackers in recent days.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-02-28

[ChrisY1]

And which lawyer is going to represent her? YES. it's the cookie box lawyer Pichit Chuenban, . All fresh after a 6 months holiday in the monkey house.

The Supreme Court sentenced to six months in jail a legal team of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra over what is called “the Pastry Gate,” in which a supreme court official was given a pastry box filled with Bt2 million in cash.

The team members who each face six months in jail for violating the court’s authority are lawyer Pichit Chuenban, coordinator Thana Tansiri and clerk Supasri Srisawat.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/21407/thaksins-lawyers-go-to-jail/

Yes....never ending...I think the politicians/business people believe it's part of their job description...must at least have a suspended sentence...they all seem to have a 5 year ban at some time...and several corruption related cases pending, and then you become part of the club.

Straight back onto the gravy train and snouts in the troughs!

[bigbamboo]

Why do MPs even bother going to parliament?

They may as well just send their lawyers along instead.

[AleG]

She is too busy reading to attend.

[Scamper]

" Under the NACC practice, if she does not come today, the NACC will send official notification to her again a week or two to acknowledge the charge. If she again refuses to come, then the NACC will officially indict her in the court of justice, and that her caretaker premier status will end.The entire acknowledgement process before the indictment takes about a month , a legal expert said. "

That's it in a nutshell. Yingluck only buys time by this show of contempt for the commission - a maximum of one month. But next Wednesday the administration will be stripped of it's caretaker status in line with Article 7, as the date for a convening of parliament will have passed. As all these constitutional precedents now collide, the administration finds itself already cornered into constitutional immobility.