Former Pheu Thai Party leader Yongyuth Wichaidit has been sentenced to two years in prison for abuse of authority in connection with the sale of monastic land for the Alpine golf course in Pathum Thani.
At the time Mr Yongyuth was a deputy permanent secretary at the Interior Ministry, serving as acting permanent secretary. The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases handed down the sentence yesterday.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission, which investigated the case, found him at fault for cancelling a Land Department order which revoked the sale of 732 rai of monastic land owned by Wat Thammikaram to private firm Alpine Real Estate Co and Alpine Golf & Sports Club in 2002. It asked that he be prosecuted.
Mr Yongyuth was found guilty of malfeasance and dereliction of duty under Section 157 of the Criminal Code and of serious disciplinary violations. He was sentenced to two years in prison, without suspension.
Mr Yongyuth refused to answer questions from the media. The court approved his temporary release on bail with 500,000 baht surety, pending appeal. He was barred from travelling abroad and must report to the court every 30 days.
The land in Pathum Thani's Klong Luang district was donated by a widow, Noem Chamnanchartsakda, to Wat Dhammamikaramvoraviharn in Prachuap Khiri Khan in 1971. After her death the Mahamongkut Ratchawittayalai Foundation was appointed executor of the estate. The foundation sold the land to Alpine Real Estate and Alpine Golf and Sports Club.
The Council of State, the government's legal advisory body, later found its sale was illegal, as the land was monastic land, and the Land Department cancelled the sale.
Mr Yongyuth overruled the Land Department's order. A long-running scandal surrounded the sale of the land and its subsequent development as a golf course and sporting club, and involved leading political figures of the time, including former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and former interior minister Sanoh Thienthong.
The court said Mr Yongyuth interpreted the law falsely, coming up with an opinion different from the Council of State even though each ministry is bound to follow its opinions.