Karun given two-year suspended jail sentence for defaming Somkiat



BANGKOK: -- Former Don Mueang MP of the Pheu Thai party Karun Hosakul was given a two-year suspended jail term after the Supreme Court found him guilty of defaming the former Democrat MP Somkiat Pongpaibul.

The judgement today was a reversal of the Appeals Court’s ruling that had earlier acquitted the former Pheu Thai MP of the libel charge against the former Democrat MP in April 2008.

Instead, the ruling upheld earlier judgement by the Criminal Court (court of first instance) that ruled Karun was guilty of libel and sentenced him to one year imprisonment and a fine of 40,000 baht.

However in that ruling the first court allowed the suspension of the one year imprisonment for two years.

In the hearing of the final judgement today at the Criminal Court where both the defendant, Karun, and the plaintiff, Somkiat, were present, the Supreme Court ruled that the former Pheu Thai MP was guilty of defaming the former Democrat MP for the incidence happened inside the Parliament on 2 April 2008.

In that incidence, Karun physically assaulted Somkiat, and later on the next day gave a press interview on FM 99.5 radio channel, and on a Channel 5’s morning news programme with statements tantamount to insulting the former Democrat MP.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/karun-given-two-year-suspended-jail-sentence-for-defaming-somkiat


-- Thai PBS 2015-03-26

And the silly games by Thai politicians continue.......................

What a waste of the courts time!!

17th century hasn't ended yet?

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And the silly games by Thai politicians continue....................... alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24>

What a waste of the courts time!!

Please general take us into a new era where such people would never get anywhere near 'politician' status.

In the Thailand judicial system, similar to Italy, the state prosecutor has three attempts to get a guilty verdict.

1st - Criminal Court

2nd - Court of Appeals

3rd - Supreme Court

A defendent may be judged not-guilty in #1 or #2 and still be tried again in #3. Yet, this is not considered double jeapordy that is forbidden by some Western judicial systems because it is defined as occuring only after the final determination from which there can be no further prosecution, ie., the Supreme Court. In some Western systems like the US, if the defendent is found not-guilty in #1, the prosecutor cannot make any further challenges. This is why you will see many trials involving Thai government officials go immediately to the Supreme Court and bypass #1 and #2 so the judicial system is not marred by any not-guilty rulings.

But according to the Thai judicial procedures, the prosecutor must provide additional evidence to challenge a not-guilty verdict to the next judicial level. In practice that doesn't seem to occur. And that may explain why you will see many trials involving Thai government officials go immediately to the Supreme Court and bypass #1 and #2 because there isn't an abundance of hard evidence.

I doubt there'll be any reform in this area by the Junta until it has gotten most of the PTP banned from elections either for five years or permanently.

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And the silly games by Thai politicians continue....................... alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24>

What a waste of the courts time!!

Please general take us into a new era where such people would never get anywhere near 'politician' status.

Don't worry. If it was up to Prayuth, no people would ever get to 'politician' status.

Rich people always get suspended sentences in Thailand....

My opinion of Somkiat has not been adversely affected by the words or actions of Karun. I have never and still do not know or care who he is.