Former deputy attorney-general Nate Naksuk insisted on Tuesday he is fully qualified to apply for seats on two state bodies despite his mishandling of the notorious hit-and-run incident Red Bull scion Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya.
Mr Nate is seeking membership on both the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Public Prosecutors Commission (PPC).
His decision not to indict Mr Vorayuth over the 2012 incident in which a police officer was killed resulted in him being dismissed from the deputy attorney-general’s position.
His dismissal came after the Public Prosecutors Commission in May last year found him guilty of gross negligence. It also said he had damaged the reputation and authority of the Office of the Attorney General, under Sections 85 and 87 of the Civil Service Act 2010.
Mr Nate, however, said that as the Supreme Administrative Court has yet to rule on his appeal, the earlier ruling could not be said to be final.
He also insisted that his decision not to indict the scion of one of the country's riuchest families was entirely legitimate, while the intervention in the prosecution of the case by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who ordered an independent panel to look into the prosecution’s actions, was not.
As for Vicha Mahakun, the head of the independent panel looking into irregularities surrounding the case, Mr Nate said he had petitioned the NACC against Mr Vicha and nine other parties whom he accused of malfeasance.
He said he was closely following the progress of his petition and had recently learned that the matter would be formally investigated by an NACC sub-committee soon.
As for the PPC position for which he has also applied, selection of a suitable candidate will be decided according to the number of votes by public prosecutors nationwide, he said.
Mr Nate said he did not pay any attention to the criticism against him by those who think he is not suitable for either of these positions.