NACC calls for Suthep to be impeached

[StrontiumDog]

NACC calls for Suthep to be impeached - The Nation

NACC calls for Suthep to be impeached

The Nation July 27, 2012 1:00 am

Senate to take up claim that senior Democrat sought Culture Ministry appointments in 2009

The national anti-graft agency yesterday resolved to seek the impeachment of Suthep Thaugsuban, a heavyweight in the opposition Democrat Party, for interfering with the Culture Ministry while serving as deputy prime minister in the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will forward its report and relevant documents on the matter to the Senate in support of Suthep's impeachment and five-year ban from politics, NACC spokesman Klanarong Chantik said. Klanarong, who is also an NACC commissioner, told a press conference yesterday that the agency found that Suthep, in his capacity as a deputy prime minister, sent a letter dated February 25, 2009, to the then culture minister requesting political appointments for 19 individuals, including Democrat MPs.

The request was found to violate Article 266 of the Constitution. This prohibits Cabinet members, including the PM, from interfering with any state agency, enterprise or local government body "for personal benefits or for the benefits of others or of a political party, whether directly or indirectly".

Although Suthep retracted the request a few days later, on March 2, 2009, by having an official retrieve his letter from the Culture Ministry, the offence was already committed, the NACC spokesman said.

"He acted in his capacity as deputy prime minister. He was found to have interfered with the Culture Ministry's affairs for the benefit of himself and his political party," Klanarong said.

Suthep, who is a former Democrat secretary-general but retains his influence in the party, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The NACC found that Abhisit was not involved in the matter, although he was prime minister at the time, according to Klanarong. Nor had the 19 individuals committed any wrong because they were not appointed to the requested jobs, he said.

The NACC yesterday rejected another case lodged by MPs from Pheu Thai Party against Suthep and Abhisit, who is also the Democrat leader.

Klanarong said the MPs alleged that Abhisit as PM unlawfully appointed Suthep to chair both the Police Commission and the National Police Board; the latter must be chaired by the PM. The NACC said Abhisit had the right to make the appointment as there was no law preventing the PM having a Cabinet member act on his behalf in certain matters.

Meanwhile, Department of Special Investigation chief Tharit Pengdit said yesterday the DSI will meet with officials from 13 agencies in two weeks to discuss possible fraud charges against UK and US firms that sold GT200 and Alfa 6 bomb-detectors to Thai agencies. The devices are reportedly useless.

Thirteen NACC subcommittees are probing procurement of the devices, and the commission will be responsible for taking action against wrongdoing officials, Tharit said. The DSI yesterday submitted to the NACC more evidence of bidding collusion on procurement contracts and will soon provide information about other agencies that bought the devices.

[StrontiumDog]

Suthep will quit politics if banned | Bangkok Post: breakingnews

Suthep will quit politics if banned

• Published: 27/07/2012 at 10:57 AM
• Online news:

Democrat MP for Surat Thani and former deputy prime minister Suthep Thuagsuban said on Friday that he would quit politics if the Senate rules he abused his power while in government.

The former secretary-general of the main opposition party said he would accept the rule of law and the ruling to be made by the Senate.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday ruled that Mr Suthep was guilty of overreaching his authority .

The NACC said Mr Suthep had interfered in the work of permanent officials at the Culture Ministry in February 2009 while serving as deputy prime minister in the previous government, led by Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The finding could lead to his being banned from politics for five years if upheld by the Senate.

The NACC will forward its findings to the senate speaker, recommending the removal of Mr Suthep as deputy prime minister and a five-year ban from politics as stipulated by the constitution.

If the Senate agrees with the NACC's recommendation, Mr Suthep would face only a five-year political ban, since he no longer holds the position of depuyprime minister.

The Senate can decide to remove him from his prior position retroactively, but without real enforcement.

[StrontiumDog]

Suthep will keep fighting despite ruling | Bangkok Post: news

Suthep will keep fighting despite ruling

ANALYSIS: Democrats' strongman and ex-deputy PM remains a potent weapon against Thaksin and Pheu Thai

• Published: 28/07/2012 at 02:31 AM
• Newspaper section: News

The Democrats may suffer a loss of morale after the National Anti-Corruption Commission's ruling against key party figure Suthep Thaugsuban.

But it should not take the country's oldest political party a long time to pull itself together and carry on with its political campaign against the Pheu Thai-led government.

Democrat heavyweights have become primary targets. While party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is accused of dodging military conscription, Mr Suthep was recently found guilty of interfering in the work of the Culture Ministry by the NACC in violation of the constitution.

In fact, the Democrat MP for Surat Thani and former deputy prime minister has been targeted by political opponents who are keen to find ways to deal with him. Mr Suthep is still regarded as the Democrats' mainstay even though he no longer holds any senior executive positions in the party.

Political pundits agree that Mr Suthep remains a highly potent weapon against exiled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Pheu Thai.

"Mr Suthep is skilled in initiating the attack, keeping up the momentum. He has the courage to fight and can coordinate well with those in the corridors of power," a highly placed source in the Democrat Party said.

Eliminating him from the political scene is a priority of Pheu Thai as this would undermine the power of the Democrats, the source added.

The source said if Mr Suthep were banned from politics, this would hurt the morale of party members and Mr Abhisit.

However, the political fallout from the whole affair, if any, should not affect the party's people's forums initiated by Mr Suthep.

Mr Suthep realises only too well that the Democrat Party cannot rival Pheu Thai in parliament, which is dominated by the ruling party.

It also needs to drum up more public support through holding people's forums in parallel with its parliamentary activities.

Mr Suthep managed to persuade Mr Abhisit and other party executives to agree with his idea. The forums began in Chumphon and other southern provinces before they were taken to Bangkok.

Associates believe that even if Mr Suthep were banned from politics, it would not stop him from pressing ahead with political activities outside parliament.

Mr Suthep also intends to forego all the executive posts of the party so that he can enjoy more freedom to engage in his political manoeuvring.

"The ultimate aim of Mr Suthep is to resist the Thaksin regime at all costs," a source close to Mr Suthep said.

Meanwhile, Mr Suthep said yesterday that he would quit politics if the Senate rules that he abused his power while in government.

The former secretary-general of the Democrat Party said he would accept the rule of law and the ruling.

"I'm now 64 and if I'm banned [from politics] for five years, I'll be 69 by then, which is probably too old," Mr Suthep said. "I will take care of my grandchildren if I'm banned."

The NACC found that Mr Suthep had interfered in the work of permanent officials at the Culture Ministry in February 2009 while serving as deputy prime minister in the previous government, led by Mr Abhisit.

The finding could lead to his being banned from politics for five years if upheld by the Senate.

The NACC will forward its findings to the Senate speaker, recommending a five-year ban from politics as stipulated by the constitution.

The Upper House is expected to take at least three months to consider Mr Suthep's case.

[StrontiumDog]

Senate decision on Suthep Sept 18 | Bangkok Post: news

Senate decision on Suthep Sept 18

• Published: 26/08/2012 at 01:05 PM
• Online news: Local News

The Senate will tomorrow begin considering whether to retroactively remove Suthep Thaugsuban, a Democrat Party MP for Surat Thani, as deputy prime minister and is expected reach a decision on Sept 18, Senate speaker Nikom Wairatpanich said on Sunday.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission has petitioned the Senate for the removal of Mr Suthep for allegedly interfering in the work of the Culture Ministry while deputy prime minister in the previous government under Abhisit Vejjajiva.

If the Senate confirms the NACC's finding, Mr Suthep would be removed retroactively as deputy prime minister and would be banned from politics for five years.

The removal would not have real effect because Mr Suthep is not longer in the position. However, the political ban would disqualify him as an MP.

Mr Nikom said that on Monday the case would be brought before the Senate and a five-member committee would be set up to compile questions from senators between Aug 27 and Sept 6.

The committee would raise these questions for the NACC, the accuser, and Mr Suthep, the accused, to answer on Sept 11.

Both sides were to submit their closing statement in the case by Sept 17.

The Senate would decide on Sept 18 whether to remove Mr Suthep as an MP and ban him from politics for five years.

A vote of at least three-fifths of serving senators is required to remove a person from a political post, according to Section 274 of the constitution.

[Mid]

The Senate will tomorrow begin considering whether to retroactively remove Suthep Thaugsuban, a Democrat Party MP for Surat Thani, as deputy prime minister

and the care factor is ?

negative .

[Rural Surin]

Might be beneficial for all if politics and political engagements were banned in general.

[Mid]

Might be beneficial for all if politics and political engagements were banned in general.

And just how are the common infrastructures to be organised , to say nothing of health and education , law and order , national security , commerce and trade etc ?

[Rural Surin]

Might be beneficial for all if politics and political engagements were banned in general.

And just how are the common infrastructures to be organised , to say nothing of health and education , law and order , national security , commerce and trade etc ?

Organised for the very few...not the commons.
This is the function of government and politics.

[Gerbil]

^ you really are a fucking knob Jeff. Your pseudo pretentious bollocks just makes you stand out as a twat. Just FOAD will you.

[StrontiumDog]

Senate to vote today to decide Suthep fate | Bangkok Post: news

Senate to vote today to decide Suthep fate

• Published: 18/09/2012 at 01:48 AM
• Newspaper section: News

The Senate will vote today to decide the fate of former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban, accused by the anti-graft agency of attempting to interfere in the work of state officials.


Suthep: Awaiting fate

The vote comes a day after the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and Mr Suthep delivered their closing statements before the upper house.

The NACC found that Mr Suthep breached the constitution by sending Democrat MPs to work at the Culture Ministry when he was deputy prime minister in the Abhisit Vejjajiva government.

Under the charter, cabinet members and MPs are prohibited from interfering in the work of civil servants.

The NACC submitted its findings to the Senate, recommending Mr Suthep be removed retroactively from the post and banned from politics for five years.

In his defence, Mr Suthep told the Senate that he had sent a letter to the Culture Ministry to inform it that a group of people wanted to help with the ministry's work.

In his letter, Mr Suthep asked to send 19 people including Democrat MPs to work at the Culture Ministry, although he later sent his staff to ask for the letter to be returned.

He said the letter was not issued in form of an order and that nobody had been sent to work there at all in the end.

Mr Suthep also said that his case was similar to that of Pheu Thai MPs who distributed flood relief supplies to flood victims last year.

The Constitution Court ruled in that case that their work could not be regarded as interference and helping people was part of their job.

NACC secretary-general Klanarong Chanthik said Mr Suthep's action was deemed as interference and it justified the impeachment bid.

Mr Klanarong said the agency had no vested interest in the case and it was proceeding in line with its authority.

"The NACC doesn't make the final call. The agency is neither sad nor happy if the Senate finds otherwise," he said.

Based on the Senate's voting record, Mr Suthep is likely to survive the impeachment bid.

No impeachment motion against political office-holders has mustered the required number of votes. Impeachment requires three-fifths, or 88 votes, of the 146 senators.

The closest call involved the impeachment bid against Pakdee Pothisiri, a member of the NACC, who was accused of violating Section 248 of the constitution by failing to resign from a private firm before accepting his NACC position. He survived the bid to impeach him by 84 to 56 votes.

In an impeachment case against former premier Somchai Wongsawat, 76 senators voted to impeach, against 49.

Mr Somchai was accused of malfeasance in connection with the crackdown on yellow-shirt protesters on Oct 7, 2008 outside parliament.

Former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama also survived an impeachment attempt over his role in the listing of the Preah Vihear temple. Only 57 senators voted to impeach, while 55 were against.

Mr Noppadon was accused of bypassing parliamentary scrutiny of the Cambodian-Thai draft communique on getting Preah Vihear listed as a World Heritage site.

[Notnow]

George Washington warned the newly formed legilatures to ban political parties because then they would be following the wishes of the party, and not the people who elected them. I think this is great advice, but if it ever happens it would be far in the future.

[StrontiumDog]

Suthep survives impeachment | Bangkok Post: news

Suthep survives impeachment

• Published: 18/09/2012 at 03:45 PM
• Online news: Local News

Democrat Party MP for Surat Thani Suthep Thaugsuban on Tuesday survived an impeachment bid when the Senate voted 95-40, with 3 abstentions, against a petition seeking his retroactive removal as deputy prime minister.


Suthep Thaugsuban (Photo by Thiti Wannamontha)

In order to remove him, at least 88 senators, three-fifths of the 146 currently sitting senators, had to vote in support of the petition filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

The NACC found that Mr Suthep breached the constitution by sending 19 people, including Democrat MPs, to work at the Culture Ministry while serving as deputy prime minister and that this amounted to political interference in the work of state officials.

The vote was called on Tuesday after Mr Suthep and Klanarong Chanthik, an NACC member, had delivered their closing statements to the Senate.

Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanich said Mr Suthep and the NACC would be notified of the Senate resolution, which is final.

[LooseBowels]

So who are right, NACC or the 95 senators?

You cant argue with that