The National Legislative Assembly (NLA)'s delay in considering the impeachment bid against former Senate speaker Nikhom Wairatpanich and ex-House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranon stems from a shortage of documents, assembly member Gen Akanit Muansawat insisted yesterday.
The NLA on Friday voted to suspend a regulation requiring the assembly's president to include an impeachment request on the agenda within 30 days of accepting it.
The suspension of the regulation technically delays a request's consideration indefinitely.
Rejecting Democrat Party comments that the NLA deferred the deliberation because it wants to test the waters of public opinion, Gen Akanit said the vote was not called because assembly members had less than 10 pages of the impeachment petition, and the document was obtained one day before the meeting took place.
The NLA members need time to read the document, he said, denying the assembly was trying to buy time.
Commenting on criticism that military-allied NLA members were lobbying not to consider the impeachment bids, Gen Akanit said this was untrue.
Assembly members affiliated with the military only have reservations about voicing their opinions on the matter because they have not yet seen the full details of the petition, he added.
NLA deputy chairman Peerasak Porchit said yesterday he had not yet discussed with the assembly chairman plans to return the issue for discussion, adding the issue may be delayed at least two weeks.
Responding to Democrat concerns the impeachment motion would be dropped, Mr Peerasak insisted the NLA is working in earnest but that everything must stay within legal parameters.
Meanwhile, National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) member Vicha Mahakhun said the anti-graft agency is unlikely to renew the impeachment bid against Mr Nikhom and Mr Somsak if the motion is turned down by the NLA.
The NACC does not consider cases that have already been processed and concluded, he said.
Mr Vicha said the NACC has done its duty and now the NLA has to take responsibility. He insisted the NLA has authority to carry out the impeachment.
Asked about reports that the NACC sent incomplete impeachment documentation to the NLA, Mr Vicha stressed the agency had sent the complete document — more than 4,000 pages. The problem is the NLA has yet to read it, he added.
He insisted he was undeterred by the NLA's move to stall consideration of the motion, saying the NACC had acted in the national interest.
Mr Vicha said the stalled deliberation would not affect the impeachment motion against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is accused of negligence for failing to stop corruption in her government’s rice-pledging scheme.
Asked if the impeachment bids could disrupt reconciliation efforts, he said the issues are not related and that reconciliation is a political matter.
The NACC sought the impeachment of Mr Nikhom and Mr Somsak over their support for an attempt to amend the 2007 charter to make the Senate fully elected.