Vatana latest politician to skip supreme court verdict

Former public health minister Rakkiat Sukthana was the first national politician in recent history to disappear the day the Supreme Court was to read its ruling against him, in September 2003.

Rakkiat was accused of taking a Bt5-million bribe from pharmaceutical companies in exchange for allowing them to sell their products to state hospitals at inflated prices.

The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders later read out its verdict in his absence. The court found Rakkiat guilty of malfeasance, dereliction of duty and abuse of authority through coercion or inducement for benefit.

The court sentenced Rakkiat to 15 years in prison and ordered Bt233 million of his assets to be seized.

The politician managed to remain at large for longer than a year. He was finally arrested in October 2004 while jogging at a park in Nonthaburi. Despite his efforts to conceal his identity, someone had recognised him and alerted police.

Rakkiat now has about three years left to serve, after a series of penalty reductions.

The next high-profile no-show involved Somchai Kunpluem, who was a local administrator in Chon Buri and the father of former tourism and sport minister Sontaya Kunplome.

Somchai - better known as Kamnan Poh - was accused of involvement in corruption regarding the purchase of land for Pattaya City's garbage-disposal project.

His case was brought to Chon Buri's court in 1997. More than five years later, in 2003, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to five years and four months in jail. The appeals court upheld the ruling.

In early 2006, the Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Somchai after he failed to show up three times for the reading of the verdict, citing health problems. In May that year, the court read the verdict in Somchai's absence, upholding the rulings by the lower courts.

Somchai still remains at large.

In the latest no-show case, Vatana failed to show up last Wednesday for the reading of the verdict by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders concerning the Klong Dan corruption case. He is accused of abusing his authority when serving as deputy interior minister, through coercion or inducement for personal benefit. The offence carries a maximum penalty of capital punishment.

The court later issued a warrant for Vatana's arrest and ordered police to take the defendant to court on August 18.

Judges agree that it is difficult to prevent defendants from fleeing as it is against international practice to deprive defendants of their right to receive temporary release.

Later this year, the Supreme Court is expected to render its verdict in a case involving ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who is accused of abusing his power when his wife Pojaman bought state-controlled land.