Lawyer for Arisman withdraws bail bid
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A lawyer for militant red-shirt leader Arisman Pongruangrong yesterday withdrew a request for his temporary release in a case connected to unrest and riots in Bangkok last year.
Suchaiwut Chaosuankluai, who acts as Arisman’s lawyer, submitted his third application for bail last Friday, offering a surety of Bt4 million. However, the lawyer yesterday withdrew the request in writing, saying the application put in last Friday was incomplete.
The lawyer explained in the written withdrawal the defendant needed to wait for more witnesses and to gather more evidence before a court hearing would be called on bail application.
The Criminal Court yesterday gave permission to the defendant to withdraw his request for bail.
Arisman was brought from Bangkok Remand Prison yesterday to the court for a bail hearing that was cancelled after his lawyer withdrew the notice. He was later taken back to the remand jail.
Arisman’s two previous applications for temporary release were turned down by the Criminal Court, which said the defendant could not convince the court he would not escape again.
The militant red-shirt fled the country after managing to escape an arrest for alleged terrorist acts in connection with the three months of street protests by the red shirts from March to May last year.
In a separate development, the ruling Pheu Thai Party’s secretary-general, Jarupong Ruangsuwan, said he had met Constitution Court president Vasant Soipisut earlier yesterday for a talk aimed at settling a defamation case between Vasant and party spokesman Prompong Nopparit and MP Kiat-udom Menasawat.
Jarupong said he was asked by Prompong and Kiat-udom to try to persuade Vasant – a former colleague in the judiciary – to drop his suit against the pair. A court judgement on the case is expected next Thursday, he said.
The Constitution Court president filed the lawsuit after Prompong and Kiat-udom accused him of meeting a Democrat Party lawyer at Vasant’s office while the trial for dissolution of the Democrats was underway.
Jarupong said yesterday he had done his job of asking Vasant to drop the case but it would be up to the judge if he would do that. “I respect the judgement of all parties,” he added.
