The National Legislative Assembly has dismissed impeachment cases against six former Democrat MPs, two former ministers of the Yingluck Shinawatra government and a former House speaker, acknowledging that their alleged offenses now are moot.
The NLA on Thursday accepted a decision from the National Anti-Corruption Commission to drop the cases originally brought, respectively, in July and November 2012. NLA chairman Pornpetch Wichitcholchai told the assembly that the NACC dismissed the cases based on the 2007 constitution because the charter since has been revoked.
In the first case, Democrat MPs Nakhon Machim, Warong Detkritwikrom, Sathit Pitutecha, Ratchada Thanadirek, Wilas Chantarapitak and Nipit Intarasombat were accused of straying off-topic during a House debate over flood-prevention funding by attempting to grill ministers from the Yingluck government for unusual wealth.
In the second case, the Democrat Party had filed an impeachment motion against former PM's Office minister Krissana Seehalak and ex-finance minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala for allegedly pressuring the chairman of Mcot Plc's board of directors Surapol Nitikraipote to resign.
The anti-graft panel also dropped impeachment against former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont of Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party for proceeding with a reconciliation bill despite doubts about its legality in 2012.