Conflicting reports on Yingluck criminal charge

Conflicting reports on Yingluck criminal charge

NACC claims to have voted to file criminal charge against Yingluck

Conflict between the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has intensified after the OAG denied the graftbusters’ claim that their joint panel decided to press a criminal charge against ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra.

On Tuesday, NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljeak said the joint working committee of the NACC and OAG had agreed at its last meeting of the day to press a criminal charge against Ms Yingluck for her alleged dereliction of duty which allowed irregularities in the rice-pledging scheme and caused massive damage to the state.

Mr Sansern said the committee submitted the recommendation to Attorney-General Trakul Winitchayapak and it expected Mr Trakul to indict Ms Yingluck soon.

But Santanee Ditsayabut, deputy spokeswoman to the OAG, denied that Wednesday, saying that contrary to claims made by the NACC, representatives of both agencies did not actually reach a conclusion.

The OAG and the NACC merely discussed new information the NACC had obtained from witness testimonies collected over the past few weeks following the OAG's request, Ms Santanee said.

Last December, the joint working team had to put off its decision following a complaint made by prosecutors that the NACC's investigation reports were incomplete because of conflicting points. Lawyers asked the NACC to gather additional information from witnesses regarding government-to-government rice deals.

Deputy Attorney-General Wuthipong Wiboonwong, as the joint panel chairman and the OAG team head, said the team is still gathering additional information and evidence to complete the investigation.

"Even though I head the OAG delegation at these meetings, I didn't know we reached an agreement with the NACC," he said.

He also denied the NACC's claim that Tuesday's meeting was the last one.

"The OAG side will meet on Monday to discuss the results of Tuesday's meeting. After that I will call a meeting of the joint committee again," he said.

Mr Wuthipong also said he was not even informed about Tuesday's meeting schedule despite the fact that he is the chairman, so he did not attend it.

He said he has not submitted any recommendation to the attorney-general but he wondered if someone else did.

However, Mr Sansern on Wednesday affirmed that a resolution to transfer Ms Yingluck’s case for indictment to lawyers had been passed.

He said only three OAG representatives were present at the meeting while 10 NACC members showed up.

He insisted that the meeting had agreed that the incomplete investigation report was finalised and resolved to press the charge against Ms Yingluck.

"I don’t know how the OAG side is coordinating their work," Mr Sansern said.

"At previous meetings, we found it unnecessary to call for the entire working team’s presence as a quorum of 13 is sufficient," Mr Sansern said.

An OAG source said the NACC called for the Tuesday meeting a day ahead and only three lawyers could attend as many others were too busy.


Earlier report

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) are at odds again — this time on whether the joint panel between the two offices had already voted to file a criminal charge against Yingluck Shinawatra for dereliction of duty.

NACC secretary general Sansern Poljiak said late on Wednesday the joint panel between the NACC and the OAG had already passed a resolution to file a criminal charge with the OAG against the former prime minister for her role in the rice-pledging programme, according to a Matichon Online report.

But Vutthipong Vibulwong, a deputy attorney general who heads the prosecutors' side of the panel, said the committee had not.

Mr Sansern said at the panel's last meeting on Tuesday, 13 were present, constituting a quorum. Ten of them were from the NACC.

"The panel agreed earlier that not all members have to be present. Before the Tuesday meeting, the NACC sent a letter to their OAG counterparts but only three came.

"The meeting agreed that since all evidence and witnesses have been heard, the meeting resolved to file a criminal charge with the OAG," Mr Sansern said.

Mr Vutthipong, however, said this was news to him.

"I'm surprised they [the NACC] did not invite me to the meeting. The panel has yet to conclude the case. It is now collecting evidence and hear two more witnesses," he said.

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