Parties' future in court's hands: OAG
Attorney-General Pachara Yutithamdamrong rises to respond to a remark by Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra during his meeting with senior bureaucrats at Government House yesterday.
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The attorney-general urged calm yesterday, saying only the Constitution Court had the right to rule whether to disband five political parties for electoral fraud relating to the alleged bankrolling of small parties to contest the April 2 election.
"Yes, the OAG [Office of the Attorney-General] has a strong case that could lead to the dissolution of the five parties but it is solely for the Constitution Court to decide and no one should form a hasty judgement," Attorney-General Pachara Yutithamdamrong said yesterday. It was Pachara's first public statement on the matter since a panel of 11 public prosecutors on Tuesday unanimously recommended the parties be put on trial. He said his prosecutors had been tasked to write reports on alleged rule violations by each of the five parties. "I expect to forward the prosecution reports to the high court early next week," he said. Pachara said he would endorse the prosecution reports although the outcome of the litigation would depend completely on the subsequent judicial review and not on the prosecutors' opinions. "The OAG believes in impartiality and no one should rush to criticise it," he said, pointing out that how the litigation unfolded in the high court would influence the outcome more than the prosecution reports. The five parties in trouble are Thai Rak Thai, Democrat, Progressive Democratic, Pattana Chart Thai and Thai Ground. Former Senate speaker Meechai Ruchaphan wondered why the OAG and the Election Commission had decided to file charges against the Democrat Party when the ruling party was central to the case of electoral fraud. "Under the circumstances, it appears anything can happen without any justification," Meechai said in a question-and-answer column posted on his website, MeechaiThailand.com. Meanwhile, two Thai Rak Thai executives remained defiant in the face of the forthcoming courtroom battle. Wichet Kasemthongsri said there was no case against his party. "The high court ruled last month to nullify the April 2 vote and all subsequent verdicts dismissed poll-related violations. Therefore, prosecutors should heed these precedents before trying the ruling party," he said. Wichet's colleague Pongthep Thepkanchana said the party was looking forward to clearing its name in the courtroom. "So far, the party has had no opportunity to present its defence. It will be acquitted once the facts are revealed," he said.
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