Court finds Abhisit guilty

Court finds Abhisit guilty

The Central Administrative Court on Friday ruled that former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was guilty of dereliction of duty for failing to reinstate former police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwon.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)

Mr Abhisit signed an order to dismiss Pol Gen Patcharawat in October 2009 after a National Anti-Corruption Commission investigation found him guilty of mishandling the 2008 protest by the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in front of the parliament building.

Two people were killed and almost 500 injured in the police dispersal of PAD demonstrators.

Pol Gen Patcharawat appealed against the sacking with the Police Commission, which ruled that Pol Gen Patcharawat was not guilty and that he must be reinstated as police chief.

The Police Commission forwarded the resolution to Mr Abhisit to reinstate Pol Gen Patcharawat, but no reinstatement order was signed.

This prompted Pol Gen Patcharawat to file administrative charges against Mr Abhisit in 2010, accusing him of dereliction of duty for not reinstating him as national police chief as recommended by the Police Commission.

According to the lawsuit, Pol Gen Patcharawat said he had sent formal letters asking Mr Abhisit, who was also chairman of the Police Commission, to issue a reinstatement order up to seven times, but to no avail.

The court yesterday ruled that Mr Abhisit had a duty to follow the Police Commission's resolution to reinstate Pol Gen Patcharawat.

"The defendant has committed dereliction of duty," the court said.

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