Court panel to consider injunction over asset seizure order in rice case
THE CENTRAL Administrative Court has appointed a panel to consider an injunction against an order for the seizure of assets belonging to former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and deputy minister Bhumi Saraphol for their alleged roles in a government rice scandal.
Boonsong and Bhumi are facing civil lawsuits and a Commerce Ministry order to pay Bt1.77 billion and Bt2.3 billion in compensation for damage to the state.
The two men were accused of being behind fake government-to-government rice sales while the Yingluck government was implementing its rice-pledging scheme, which resulted in over Bt500 billion in losses to the state.
Boonsong and Bhumi petitioned the court to temporarily stay the asset confiscation on the grounds that they would suffer if the authorities hastily proceeded with the order and the auctioning off of the assets to gain the funds for compensation.
The Commerce Ministry’s representative also attended the court’s hearing yesterday to clarify the ministry’s legal position on this case.
The seven-judge panel will hear both sides before deciding whether to issue the injunction to protect the interests of the defendants while the court considers the defendants’ petition against the asset confiscation order.