The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions has agreed to treat two related cases in the allegedly corrupt government-to-government (G-to-G) rice deals as one, as requested by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).
In the first case, a former commerce minister and 20 other individuals and companies have been indicted in the Supreme Court in connection with fake government-to-government (G-to-G) rice deals with two Chinese trading companies: Guangdong Stationery and Sporting Goods Import and Export, and Hainan Grain and Oil Industrial Trading Co.
The 21 defendants have been charged with committing many offences in violation of the law on price collusion, the Criminal Code and the Anti-Corruption Act. If found guilty, they could face a life sentence.
The OAG, which filed the lawsuit on March 17, 2015, also asked the court to fine them 35.27 billion baht.
The other case is against seven other individuals and firms implicated in the G-to-G rice deals. The Supreme Court accepted the second case for consideration on Feb 24 this year.
The seven defendants are: the Kitthavee Yasothon Rice Mill Limited partnership and Kitthavee Yasothon Rice Co and their managing director Thavee Artsamat; KMC Inter Rice (2002) Co and its managing director Pakorn Leesirikul; and Jia Meng Co and its managing director Prapit Manatunya.
They are charged with helping ex-commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and 20 other individuals and firms commit graft in relation to the release of pledged rice under the G-to-G scheme.
At the request of the OAG, the Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to incorporate the two cases as one and renamed the seven defendants in the second case as the 22nd to 28th defendants in the combined case.
The Supreme Court also approved a request by the 10th to 23rd defendants to cross-examine five witnesses who are Chinese nationals residing in China and Singapore by video conference about the existence of the two Chinese companies -- Guangdong Stationery and Sporting Goods Import and Export, and Hainan Grain and Oil Industrial Trading Co.
The defendants are to coordinate with the respective embassies or consulates in those countries and with the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) to arrange the video conferences at their own expense.
Mr Boonsong said the examination of witnesses via video conference, the first ever for the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, should be favourable for the defendants, as the witnesses were involved in the rice deals.