Court rules against minister's wife
The Chiang Rai Provincial Court yesterday found Salakchit Tiyapairat guilty of making a false charge against a rival politician in 2004.
Salakchit, wife of Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat, was sentenced to three years and nine months in jail, ordered to pay a Bt75,000 fine and had her voting rights revoked for 10 years.Following the sentencing, she sought and received Bt500,000 bail pending an appellate review in 30 days. The litigation ensued after a fierce contest between Salakchit and rival candidate Ratana Chongsutthana-manee for the position of chairman of the Chiang Rai Provincial Administrative Organisation. Weeks before the balloting, Salakchit, who was seeking re-election, accused Ratana of vote-buying. The Election Commission dropped her charge for lack of evidence. After her election victory, Ratana sued Salakchit. The court invoked the local-elections law to penalise Salakchit. Under relevant provisions, a rival candidate faces a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to Bt100,000 and suspension of voting rights for 10 years if found guilty of making a false accusation, the same penalty for vote-buying. Salakchit is presently campaigning for a Senate seat and may be disqualified if the verdict is not overturned. Under the national election law, a senatorial candidate must have his or her voting rights intact.
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