Anti-government protest co-leader Taworn Senneum has appealed to public prosecutors not to help defend caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and officials during any court trial concerning graft in the rice-pledging scheme.
Rice farmers from Na Pho, Muang and Prakhon Chai districts of Buri Ram gather at the provincial office of the Lawyers Council of Thailand yesterday to ask it to help sue caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, ministers and officials for delayed payments under the ricepledging scheme. Surachai Piragsa
Mr Taworn said Ms Yingluck and her allies are being probed over alleged corruption in the scheme and they may ask public prosecutors to help defend them.
Under the Public Prosecution Organisation and Public Prosecutors Act 2007’s Article 14(4), prosecutors are allowed to defend state officials acting in the course of their duty, Mr Taworn said.
Mr Taworn said the Office of the Attorney-General had promised farmers it would take legal action against Ms Yingluck and ministers concerned regarding long-overdue payments owed to farmers.
As public prosecutors have agreed to help farmers, they should also not defend Ms Yingluck in either civil or criminal cases, he said.
"Public prosecutors must take the side of righteousness by protecting the people’s rights and the national interest," Mr Taworn said. "The programme shows signs of corruption and involves overdue payments, and has breached the law.
"Public prosecutors must have the courage to refuse to be Ms Yingluck’s lawyers."
Meanwhile, Poramate Intarachumnum, secretary of the attorney-general,
said the agency had filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Administrative Court against authorities in connection with the rice-pledging scheme.
The lawsuit says 22 farmers are demanding 2.7 million baht in damages, plus 7.5% annual interest. It was filed against Ms Yingluck, the Commerce Ministry, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, the Public Warehouse Organisation, the Marketing Organisation for Farmers, and the Finance Ministry.