Yingluck Shinawatra and jail time

[S Landreth]

• Yingluck targets fake FB profiles

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...ke-fb-profiles

[S Landreth]

NACC wants Yingluck put on trial for 'unfair' Thawil transfer

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) wants to bring another case against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, after deciding she abused her power by unfairly ordering the transfer of Thawil Pliansri, then secretary-general of the National Security Council, to an inactive post in 2011.

NACC deputy secretary-general Niwatchai Kasemmongkol said on Wednesday an investigation found that on Sept 4, 2011 Ms Yingluck ordered the Prime Minister's Secretariat, over the telephone, to propose that Mr Thawil be transferred to the position of prime minister's adviser at the PM's Office.

The secretariat subsequently sent a memorandum to Krisna Seehalak, then permanent secretary of the PM's Office, and Pol Gen Kowit Wattana, who was then a deputy prime minister, asking them to approve the proposal and forward it to the cabinet.

The proposal was initially not on the meeting agenda, but was hastily tabled for the cabinet's consideration. The cabinet approved it.

Ms Yingluck then issued an order moving Mr Thawil from the job of chief of the NSC to the PM's Office. The transfer was processed in haste and completed in only four days, Mr Niwatchai said.

On Oct 4, 2011, the cabinet appointed Pol Gen Wichean Potephosree, then police chief, to the position of head of the National Security Council.

After that Ms Yingluck, as chair of the Police Commission, made a proposal that Pol Gen Priewphan Damapong, then deputy police chief and her close relative, be appointed national police chief, filling the vacancy left by Pol Gen Wichean. Her proposal was approved by the Police Commission.

According to Mr Niwatchai, the NACC found that Ms Yingluck had committed malfeasance, a violation of Section 157 of the Criminal Code, and abuse of power under the Anti-Corruption Act.

He said the NACC would send the investigation report, related documents and evidence, and its recommendation to the Office of the Attorney General. It would ask that Ms Yingluck be indicted for malfeasance and abuse of power in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.

Ms Yingluck, the younger sister of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, fled the country in August 2017, shortly before her conviction and sentencing by the Supreme Court for dereliction of duty in ignoring warnings of massive corruption in her former government's rice subsidy scheme. She has since been seen many times in her also-exiled brother's company, and was reported to have been granted Serbian citizenship in 2019.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...hawil-transfer

[S Landreth]

More later………

https://www.thaienquirer.com/wp-cont...ly-17-2020.pdf

[S Landreth]

NACC finds Yingluck abused authority in infrastructure roadshow

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has found grounds to the accusation that former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and two other former officials committed offences and abused their authority by rolling out a roadshow campaign to publicise infrastructure development projects in 2013.

NACC spokesman Niwatchai Kasemmongkol told a press briefing after the meeting on Wednesday that Yingluck, former prime minister's secretary-general Suranand Vejjajiva and then PM's office minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan stand accused of violating two laws — Section 151 and Section 157 of the Criminal Code and Section 12 and Section 13 of the law on offences relating to the submission of contract bids to state agencies,

The alleged offences are related to the 240-million-baht Building the Future of Thailand in 2020 project launched in 2013 at her instruction as prime minister.

The nationwide roadshow campaign was to hold exhibitions, seminars, and other public relations activities to promote an infrastructure investment scheme, for which the Yingluck administration proposed a bill to borrow 2 trillion baht.

However, on March 12, 2014, the Constitutional Court ruled the bill sponsored by the Yingluck government to authorise the Finance Ministry to seek 2 trillion baht in loans for infrastructure development projects was unconstitutional.

As a result, events held under the roadshow campaign were effectively rendered null and void, and the 240-million budget already spent on the campaign was wasted, causing damage to the state, said Mr Niwatchai, who also serves as the NACC's deputy secretary-general.

The NACC has also concluded that two media companies commissioned to run the roadshow were allegedly complicit in supporting the offences by state authorities in violation of the Criminal Code, the anti-corruption law and the law on offences relating to the submission of contract bids to state agencies, Mr Niwatchai said.

The media outlets were Matichon Plc and Siam Sport Syndicate Plc.

The NACC will forward an investigation report on the case, and a recommendation for legal action against the accused to the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG), which will decide whether to bring the case before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, Mr Niwatchai said.

Mr Surnand posted a Facebook message arguing that he had performed his duty honestly and carefully in the state and public interest.

All procurement processes were strictly made in line with state regulations, he said, and he hoped for justice for himself and the other accused.

Matichon vice president Thakoon Boonparn insisted the company was innocent, and said the anti-graft agency never gave it an opportunity to defend itself during the investigation, Matichon reported.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...cture-roadshow

[Butterfly]

she was probably the best PM Thailand ever had, what a shame!!!

[S Landreth]

Little more to the news above……

Ex-PM Yingluck and two aides faulted by NACC over “Thailand 2020” project

Thailand’s former Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, former PM’s Office Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisarn and Suranand Vejjajiva, former Secretary-General to the Prime Minister, have been faulted by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for malfeasance in office, for allegedly wasting 240 million baht of taxpayers’ money in hiring two media firms for the promotion of the “Thailand 2020” roadshow project in 2013.

The two media companies, Matichon and Siam Sports Syndicate, and well as their top executives, Thakoon Boonpan and Ravee Lowthong, were also faulted for aiding and abetting the alleged offences.

In the “Thailand 2020” promotion project, 12 provinces were chosen for the launch of the campaign, featuring exhibitions to educate and inform people about the development of major infrastructure projects, such as the dual-track and high-speed rail projects, paid for with money from a two trillion baht loan bill, proposed by the Yingluck government. Each of the 12 provinces were provided with 20 million baht, to be disbursed from the Central Fund.

Matichon and the Siam Sports Syndicate were chosen to organize the promotional events, held in the northeastern provinces in Nong Khai and Nakhon Ratchasima initially.

Protests were launched against the project, on the grounds that the two trillion baht loan bill may be unconstitutional and because legal issues were pending in the Constitutional Court. Critics also argued that the promotional project was a duplication of similar one, launched earlier by the Transport Ministry.

The project went ahead, despite the Budget Bureau not allocating the required funds. Later, the Constitutional Court ruled the two trillion baht loan bill was unconstitutional.

The NACC ruled that, since the loan bill was unconstitutional, all the projects related to it were invalidated. As such, the 240 million baht spent on the “Thailand 2020” project was a complete waste, causing damage to the state, said the NACC.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/ex-pm-y...-2020-project/

[S Landreth]

• Is there more to fresh Yingluck case than meets the eye?

In her Facebook post, former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission to focus on the future instead of the past. If growing suspicion proves to be right, however, the agency might have been actually doing what she suggested.

No news reports about the latest development mentioned Somporn Juangroongruangkit, the mother of latest political star Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, but some political analysts have begun whispering about it. Somporn became the second largest shareholder of Matichon after the media empire won a lucrative public relations contract from the Yingluck government so Thanathorn’s mother is safe from the NACC’s probe into the contract. She and her son, however, can be exposed to another controversy entirely.

The case is about a government allegedly using money fraudulently to promote a massive project despite unsettled constitutional and legal questions. However, the “real motive” of the new action against Yingluck, many suspect, is an intention to allow the public to connect the alleged dots. Here’s a possible narrative: Matichon was friendly toward the Yingluck government, which in turn awarded the media group a handsome PR deal controversially. After the Matichon-Yingluck joint-venture amounted to nothing that benefited her government, and instead caused legal trouble, Somporn came along on the business side, and Thanathorn on the political front.

Legally and constitutionally speaking, Somporn is free to do whatever a business person can do. However, political games don’t necessarily have to be about legal crackdowns, and the new case against Yingluck is like trying to kill many birds with one stone. The former prime minister faces yet another case. A media group perceived as “friendly” to her has been dealt a legal blow and its political stand is now under a bigger scrutiny. A mother and her politically influential son will have to answer ethical questions.

Simply put, naming Yingluck in the new case may be all about the past, but dragging Matichon and Somporn along could be about the future.

Somporn, whose family is one of the richest in Thailand, is no stranger to media ownership. She once owned a large chunk of stocks in the Nation Multimedia Group. The woman had no influences over NMG’s editorial departments, and NMG journalists never knew whether she had ever complained about that. She has been leading the Thai Summit Group, Thailand’s leading auto parts maker, and always said her involvement in media outlets was limited to investment only.

The Prayut government, meanwhile, has been facing growing political adversity. But one thing about political adversity is that the more you try to fight it, the more it can grow. This means that whether current protests are being secretly aided or not, a point may come when they can go and grow by their own.

Countless politicians have fallen into the trap of trying to nap animosity in the bud, only to make problems get out of hand.

Prayut is now on a three-pronged battle. He is skating on thin ice amid continued Palang Pracharath problems, the highly-hostile opposition ready to pounce on any administrative slip or resentment in the government bloc, and anti-military moves outside Parliament.

Orthodox moves call for discrediting or destroying the enemies. The latest action against Yingluck, if it is really intended to rattle Somporn and thus Thanathorn, falls into this category, so does politicising sensitive banners at anti-government protests.

People not involving in the national divide are calling on Prayut to concentrate on serving the public rather than targeting enemies. How about a special budget to give Thais free or cheap COVID-19 vaccine, something the opposition will never oppose? How about re-directing large parts of all ministerial budgets to construct a massive relief fund, run jointly by the government and opposition perhaps?

All the three battles Prayut is facing have more or less to do with old politics. Prayut has to believe he can survive them with “new normal” politics, but the new case against Yingluck, whether it is a fixation on the past or a clever plan for the future, and whether he has anything to do with it or not, shows a long road ahead.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/is-ther...meets-the-eye/

[Delayed]

In comparison we have Trump Borris and Trudeau

[S Landreth]

• Yingluck freed of B35bn rice compensation order

The Central Administrative Court on Friday annulled the Finance Ministry's order that fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra pay 35.7 billion baht in compensation for her administration's loss-ridden rice-pledging scheme.

The court found that order number 1351/2559 issued in October 2016 was not legal because the corruption in the process - which included the verification of farmers' qualifications, the illegal use of foreign rice in the scheme, the substandard storage of pledged rice and fake government-to-government rice sales - happened at the operational level.

Yingluck had been aware only of memorandums of understanding for G2G sales of pledged rice and there had been attempts to investigate graft in the scheme. She had not intentionally allowed corruption to grow, the court said.

Besides, the Finance Ministry admitted there was no clear evidence proving that Yingluck had been directly responsible for damage caused by the scheme, the court said.

The ruling was in response to Yingluck's petition against the compensation order. The 35.7-billion-baht figure was considered to be 20% of the total damage from the rice-pledging scheme.

Yingluck fled Thailand in August 2017 to escape punishment over her administration's failed rice-pledging scheme, just before the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for People Holding Political Positions was set to pass judgement.

She was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison.

Deputy Prime Minister Wisanu Krea-ngam said on Friday that the government had the right to appeal against the court's ruling.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...ensation-order

[scat2]

Slow news day.

[S Landreth]

hope she'll come back home to celebrate

[scat2]

hope she'll come back home to celebrate

It might help if you understood the subject matter.

[serrollt]

Perspectives may vary on this and other subject matters.

[scat2]

Perspectives may vary on this and other subject matters.

Doesn't apply to fake know-it-alls.

[S Landreth]

she has a bit of jail time to serve

but should still come back