Yingluck Shinawatra and jail time

[S Landreth]

related story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/poli...-30245819.html

Although building a digital economy will challenge him most, the huge losses from the rice-pledging scheme may give him the most headaches.

"We might face an accumulated loss of up to Bt800 billion from the rice pledging [scheme]," he said, explaining that there were Bt200 billion in losses for all types of agricultural crops, but mostly paddy, before 2010 and Bt500 billion in losses for crops from 2011-13.



and some people want certain groups back in to run this country? After the damage they do?

[Mid]

and some people want certain groups back in to run this country? After the damage they do?

The Pheu Thai Party has petitioned for the Department of Special Investigation to look into the losses incurred by the rice-price guarantee programme under Abhisit Vejjajiva's government.

"The Pheu Thai validation team has recently discovered the project led to a loss of Bt130 billion, not Bt60 billion as they said," Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said yesterday. "The number hasn't yet been verified by the Commission of Defence Against Corruption and Misconduct of the House of Representatives." Prompong added that the action is not in retaliation against the criticism of the Pheu Thai-led government's own rice-pledging scheme.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nati...-30208034.html

[S Landreth]

Yingluck:

accumulated loss of up to Bt800 billion from the rice pledging [scheme]

Abhisit:

project led to a loss of Bt130 billionl

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/nac...edging-scheme/

[Mid]

NLA to deliberate Yingluck's impeachment case Nov 12
October 29, 2014

National Legislative Assembly President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai has scheduled an NLA meeting on November 12 to deliberate an impeachment case against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Pornpetch said the NLA has authority to accept the case for deliberation because the National Ant-Corruption Commission accused Yingluck of having violated the national administration act and the NACC act, which are still in effect.

Pornpetch said he will send copies of the NACC's charges to Yingluck and NLA members.

nationmultimedia.com

[S Landreth]

NLA gives nod for Yingluck impeachment proceedings

NACC Case against ex-PM to be on the agenda at assembly meeting scheduled for November 12

Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra will face impeachment proceedings for alleged failure to stop corruption in her government's rice-pledging scheme, after National Legislative Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said yesterday that the case would be on the agenda of the NLA meeting on November 12.

On October 14, the NLA president said he had accepted the case filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) against Yingluck for her failure to stop corruption and the massive losses suffered by the state in the rice-pledging scheme. He explained that the NACC had found that Yingluck, in her position as prime minister, had intentionally violated Article 178 of the 2007 Constitution, Article 11 (1) of the State Administration Act (1991) and Article 58 of the Constitution Organic Law on Anti-Corruption.

The NLA president said that though there were claims that the charge of abuse of authority against Yingluck was in violation of the 2007 charter, which is now defunct, the suit filed by the NACC clearly indicates why the former PM should be impeached.

"This has led me to believe that the impeachment case should proceed in accordance with the revoked [2007] Constitution and state regulations. Hence, I have instructed [the agencies concerned] that the impeachment case against Yingluck be scheduled as a special agenda on November 12," Pornpetch said.

Copies of documents related to the impeachment case have been sent to Yingluck and NLA members, he said. The former PM could face a five-year ban from politics if she is impeached.

According to the NLA meeting regulation, after the assembly accepts the case it would schedule a date for Yingluck and the NACC to make a statement before the NLA. The NLA would set up a committee if any assembly members wanted to debate or ask questions. After that, the NLA will schedule a date for both the NACC and Yingluck to make their closing statements. Normally, the process will take about 45 days before the vote on whether to impeach or not.

Pornpetch also said that the NLA would meet next Thursday to discuss and decide on whether to accept the impeachment case against former Parliament president Somsak Kiatsuranon and his then-deputy Nikom Wairatpanich for deliberation.

The NACC had ruled earlier that Somsak and Nikom should face impeachment proceedings because they had proposed a bill that sought to amend the Constitution and change the composition of the Senate.

The chairman said the difference between Yingluck's case and those of Somsak and Nikom was that in the ex-PM's case, though the 2007 Constitu-tion is defunct, its organic laws are still in force. He said, the NLA could go ahead with the impeachment process against Yingluck.

Pornpetch said the NLA had earlier deferred making a decision on whether to accept the impeachment case against the previous government's top politicians due to legal technicalities. He added that the assembly would have to vote to decide whether to also accept impeachment cases against Somsak and Nikom.

The assembly chairman explained that some NLA members still harboured doubts over whether the alleged constitutional offences were still valid as the 2007 charter had already been scrapped. Pornpetch said the assembly this time, would make a decision without delay, adding that the NLA had the final say and that there was no need to seek a Constitutional Court ruling on the matter.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/poli...-30246564.html

http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/...ctober-29-2014

[S Landreth]

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/gra...idence-prayut/http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ex-...e-loss-claims/

[MrBlobby]

This saga really has degenerated into outright Political Nobbling.

Better extend the remit of the 5 British Plods to also sort out "who really ate all the rice"

[S Landreth]

Related Thai rice news

Final rice report expected in mid-November

The cabinet is expected to receive the final report of rice held in the stockpiles in the middle of this month, said finance permanent secretary Rangsan Srivorasart today.

He estimated that if all the 5 percent rice out of 8 million tonnes of rice in storage were sold out at 8,000 baht a tonne, the loss incurred would be about 144 billion baht without taking into account the loss from depreciation.

If a 10 percent depreciation per year is taken into account, the depreciation for the past two years during the implementation of the rice pledging scheme, the total depreciation will be 20-25 percent or a loss of between 54-67 billion baht, said Mr Rangsan.

The anticipated loss will be 200 billion baht plus the 300 billion baht earlier incurred, the total loss from the scheme will come to 500 billion baht in total, he said.

The anticipated total loss will be less if the government manages to get better prices for the rice sale.

With bated breath: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/fin...-mid-november/

"who really ate all the rice"

[peterplonker]

what ever, they are determined to nail YL, mind you I would if I had a chance, but YL was doomed when she took the job as shins advocate. pity she beats the current muppets. SNIP

[Panama Hat]

You could get in trouble for calling the generals that!

[S Landreth]

No rallies over impeachment, Prayut warns

PM threatens 'new measures' against protesters over Yingluck case


In his toughest warning, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha told political pressure groups yesterday not to break the law by staging rallies over the impeachment case involving former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra for her failure to stop corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.

Prayut said the government had measures in place to deal with political rallies. Martial law - imposed by the National Council for Peace and Order and yet to be lifted - bans gatherings of five people and more.

The PM added that the government would be careful not to restrict people's rights and would find new measures to deal with protests.

Prayut urged the political sector against falling into a "democratic trap" if the country is to move forward.

"We must overcome our social, economic and political issues. The government assumes power to resolve issues so that the country can move forward. We should not walk in circles or get stuck with our old conflicts,'' he said.

The PM was referring to rally threats by leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD or red shirts) if the People's Democratic Reform Committee leader Thaworn Senneam manages to convince the National Legislative Assembly to accept impeachment cases against Yingluck and two top politicians from the previous government.

The NACC has filed impeachment cases with the NLA against former Parliament president Somsak Kiatsuranon and his deputy Nikom Wairatpanich after finding them guilty of violating the 2007 Constitution by pushing for charter changes in relation to composition of the Senate.

Last week, Thaworn threatened to forward the impeachment cases of the two former senior politicians to the Constitutional Court if the NLA chooses not to take action on the issue.

The move came after the Assembly deferred deliberation two weeks ago on whether to accept impeachment cases against Somsak and Nikom, citing legal technicality issues.

The NLA, however, has accepted an impeachment case against Yingluck after Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai put the case - filed by the NACC on October 14 - on the NLA agenda on November 12.

NLA lawmakers expect impeachment proceedings to take less than 25 days after the first deliberation. Any decision to impeach Yingluck requires three fifths of total votes - or 132 votes.

The NLA will also vote on Thursday on whether to accept impeachment cases against Nikom and Somsak.

Pornpetch vowed that the Assembly would exercise its judgement on the impeachment cases in accordance with the rule of law and not to placate any pressure groups or succumb to any lobbying power.

Pheu Thai Party strikes back over Yingluck impeachment case

Meanwhile, legal advisers for Pheu Thai Party plan to file a complaint with the NLA president to object to his decision that the Assembly should go ahead with impeachment proceedings against Yingluck Shinawatra over alleged corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.

The lawyers, led by Pichit Chuenban, will seek approval from Yingluck to file a complaint over the NLA move to impeach her next Wednesday.

The letter gives seven reasons for their objection:

1. Impeachment could result in Yingluck being deprived of her rights and liberty - basic constitutional rights guaranteed by the charter. They say the move can't be done if the charter does not state that the NLA has authority to do this;

2. The 2014 provisional charter does not state that the NLA has the right to impeach political office holders in accordance with the constitution's organic laws to counter corruption;

3. Chapter 10 of the NLA meeting regulations on impeachment of political office holders in accordance with constitution's organic laws to counter corruption are not in line with the rule of law, democratic principles and general will;

4. The above NLA regulations are seen as violating the country's ruling system of constitutional monarchy and provision 5 of the 2014 provisional charter;

5. The NLA president cannot resort to "discrimination" when it comes to "grounds for offence";

6. The NLA cannot cite laws which do not impose punishment for impeachment;

7. Yingluck is no longer premier, so she is not a political office holder in accordance with article 58 of the constitution's organic law on countering corruption.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/poli...-30246912.html

You could get in trouble for calling the generals that!

[Panama Hat]

and by the way,.I could give a f what any Thai general thinks

You are implying they think . . .

[S Landreth]

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/yin...n-nla-speaker/

You are implying they think . . .

To an extent

[Texpat]

oh, look -- nuthin' over over here!

hard to swallow innit?

[Mid]

No progress on Yingluck case
King-oua Laohong
7/11/2014

Anti-corruption officials and public prosecutors have yet to conclude a criminal case against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in connection with the rice-pledging scheme after a 3-hour meeting on Friday.

Both sides agreed on some points at the meeting though, said Vutthipong Vibulwong, who leads public prosecutors in a joint panel with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

The NACC agreed to further question some, though not all, of the witnesses suggested by the Attorney-General's Office, he said.

These witnesses include all the NACC already talked to and those suggested by Ms Yingluck and turned down by the NACC earlier.

More than 10 of these witnesses will be questioned after which the attorney-general will determine whether there is enough ground to pursue the case, Mr Vutthipong said.

Asked whether the NACC can file the charge without the endorsement of the prosecutors, Mr Vutthipong said the anti-graft body could not do so until the prosecutors in the joint panel reported the results to the attorney-general first.

The prosecutors might share the same view as the NACC or the attorney-general might want more witnesses or further discussions on certain points, said Mr Vutthipong, also deputy attorney-general.

"The NACC has agreed to question some witnesses but we want them to talk to all. So no conclusion has been reached," Mr Vutthipong said.

NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljiak said there was no agreement because the NACC could not comply with all of the prosecutors' requests.

"We also view certain legal issues from different angles. On certain things, we insist they're not our duty but the prosecutors said we could do," he said.

"It's true when the deputy attorney general said we're unyielding. We couldn't cave in because we have to stick to the laws. We believe the evidence and witnesses at hand are enough to prosecute.

"We agree to hear more witnesses but insist we couldn't do so for the rest of them," he said.

On July 17, the NACC found the case in which Ms Yingluck had been accused of dereliction of duty in her role as chair of the loss-ridden rice pledging scheme has grounds and sent the case to the Attorney-General's Office for legal action.

But public prosecutors viewed the case needed more evidence and witnesses if it was to proceed.

Both sides agree to set up a joint panel to discuss what to do with the case.

bangkokpost.com