A lawyer for one of nine suspects accused of lese majeste and offences under the Computer Crimes Act has filed a lawsuit against a legal officer of the National Council for Peace and Order and a police officer for abuse of authority, defamation and giving a false statement to authorities.
Benjarat Meethien named Maj Gen Wicharn Jodtaeng, chief of the legal affairs office of the NCPO, and Pol Gen Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul, a deputy police chief handling the investigation of lese majeste cases, and their staffs as defendants in the lawsuit filed with Crime Suppression Division police on Sunday.
Ms Benjarat said when police last week announced that warrants had been approved for the arrest of nine suspects of the so-called "Khon Kaen Model" group, Thanakrit Thongngernperm was named as one of them.
Apart from lese majeste and violation of the Computer Crime Act, the nine men had also been accused of plotting subversive attacks in Bangkok and the assassination of two key government figures.
According to Ms Benjarat, Thanakrit had been detained continuously in Khon Kaen prison in another case for 18 months since May last year. Therefore, it was not possible for her client to have committed the alleged offences.
Ms Benjarat said the NCPO and other people concerned must be held responsible.
Since Khon Kaen prison was known for its tight security measures, it was unlikely for her client to be allowed out of the prison to commit the alleged legal offences, she added.