Attorney General declines to prosecute Yingluck – for now

– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

PHUKET: The Attorney-General’s Office on Thursday decided to set up a joint committee of public prosecutors and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to conduct further investigations into the rice-pledging case against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The NACC has asked the attorney general to prosecute Ms Yingluck for dereliction of duty in neglecting to act on corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.

Wanchai Rujanawong, spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General, said the setting up of the joint committee was aimed at strengthening and plugging all the loopholes in the case so that it would be “perfect” before public prosecutors brought Ms Yingluck before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.

The committee will be set up within 14 days.

Mr Wanchai said he decided to conduct more investigations because he did not want to see the case rejected by the court.

“We need to show the court in detail how the accused committed the crimes. You cannot just say summarily that corruption took place at every stage in the scheme without elaborating. You need to tell the court how the corruption happened,” he said.

The NACC in July forwarded its investigative report to state attorneys with the recommendation to seek Ms Yingluck’s indictment by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.

— Phuket Gazette Editors