Ex-ministers choose not to answer NLA's G2G queries

[webfact]

Ex-ministers choose not to answer NLA's G2G queries
KRIS BHROMSUTHI
THE NATION

Say their responses will affect the adjudication of their cases in court

BANGKOK: -- Former members of the ousted Pheu Thai-led government who were accused of fabricating the government-to-government (G2G) rice deals have decided not to attend a question-and-answer session with the National Legislative Assembly (NLA). The NLA is set to consider their impeachment.

The accused include former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, his then-deputy Poom Sarapol and former director of the Commerce Ministry's Foreign Trade Department Manus Soiploy,

NLA vice president Surachai Liengboonlertchai quoted the accused as saying they would not attend the meeting because they believed that answering the NLA's questions would negatively affect their cases, which are due to be adjudicated by the Supreme Court's special department on political cases.

The three are scheduled to deliver their final statements to NLA members on May 7, before the NLA votes on the following day as to whether the accused should be impeached.

In response to Boonsong and Poom's accusation last week that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) had been hasty with the investigation and was politically motivated, NACC member Vicha Mahakhun said his decision to prosecute these individuals had nothing to do with politics. He also said that impeachment was an important process, because if impeached, they will be banned from politics for five years.

He also insisted that Boonsong and Poom had falsely claimed that the two Chinese enterprises involved in the deal were representatives of the Beijing government. He said that though they were state enterprises, they had not been authorised by the Chinese government to buy rice from Thailand as part of a G2G programme.

Also, no rice was actually exported to China under this scheme Vicha said, adding that the deal was designed to allow the Pheu Thai government's business allies to buy rice from "fake" Chinese firms at a price lower than the market price. The rice was then redistributed in the country, thus making huge profits for the firms, as well as bringing the market price down via oversupply.

The NLA was set to ask Boonsong and Poom to provide evidence of the two Chinese state firms working as representatives of the Chinese government.

NLA members were also to ask if Boonsong and Poom were aware that the rice that was supposed to be exported to China was in fact bought and distributed locally, thus bringing damage to the country.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Ex-ministers-choose-not-to-answer-NLAs-G2G-queries-30259133.html


-- The Nation 2015-05-01

[NongKhaiKid]

It was only a white lie

[issanaus]

It was only a white lie

You mean a sackful of little white lies

[trogers]

They are so secret that the previous government either did not record them in government documents, or had the documents destroyed?

[NongKhaiKid]

It was only a white lie

You mean a sackful of little white lies

A sackful to you and me but only a SA MALL one for a Thai politician and always for the good of the country never a personal bank account.

[Thaddeus]

Say their responses will affect the adjudication of their cases in court

Taking the fifth then.

(you could pronounce it with a p an i and two esses)

[Tatsujin]

Again, that overriding "don't you know who I am, how dare you, we had the people's mandate to do what the hell we wanted to, I don't need to tell you anything" attitude rears it's very ugly little head.

[lucky11]

It seems that they are on their own in this forum as none of the reds are able to protect them.

[Ricardo]

It was only a white lie

You mean a sackful of little white lies

Or several warehouses full of sacks of white rice lies !

[LuckyLew]

It has been over a year now and these people must have known the G2G issue would be investigated yet they still have not got their stories straight. This can only point to guilt IMO

[FangFerang]

The convenient lies being bandied about from both sides are laughable altogether.

One group of idiots, the accused said " they would not attend the meeting because they believed that answering the NLA's questions would negatively affect their cases"

AND

The other group of idiots, the accusers, said, "his decision to prosecute these individuals had nothing to do with politics" and "The rice was then redistributed in the country, thus...bringing the market price down via oversupply"

[slapout]

the whole country knows they are guilty as sin. put them in jail until they can/ answer the questions asked of them. make sure they nor their family. cronies have access to their bank accounts,

[Alwyn]

Again, that overriding "don't you know who I am, how dare you, we had the people's mandate to do what the hell we wanted to, I don't need to tell you anything" attitude rears it's very ugly little head.

yeah, unfortunately for them they didn't have article 44 to support their actions

[winstonc]

Again, that overriding "don't you know who I am, how dare you, we had the people's mandate to do what the hell we wanted to, I don't need to tell you anything" attitude rears it's very ugly little head.

yeah, unfortunately for them they didn't have article 44 to support their actions

your right they had thaksin on there side...

[fgmr]

Shouldn't the Supreme Court give it's verdict before any impeachment proceedings. Let JUSTICE be seen to be done before any political haranguing begins in an assembly where presumably political clout comes before justice. Rightly or wrongly everyone seems to be making judgement out of evidence that has been garnered by the prosecution without an equivalent response from the accused.

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.

[fgmr]

"there side"? or Off Side! Good game!