Sondhi's jail term suspended by Appeals Court
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People's Alliance for Democracy leader Sondhi Limthongkul yesterday had his three-year jail term reduced to a suspended sentence for two years following an appellate review on his libel offence against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
“The defendant (Sondhi) has committed one count of defamation because it is not in the public interest whether or not the plaintiff (Thaksin) believes in magic,” the Court of Appeals said in its ruling.
The litigation focused on Sondhi’s rally speeches made in March 2006. The speeches portrayed then PM Thaksin as a vote-buyer and a crazy leader obsessed with black magic.
Sondhi outlined a series of black magic ceremonies involving Thaksin performed at Government House and Erawan Brahman shrine.
The Nation
