House panel urges Sorrayuth to step aside
Anchorman Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda should be held to the same ethical standards as the officials he covers in his news stories and take leave pending the outcome of his fraud indictment, a House committee said in a report yesterday.
The report on the Sorrayuth case, compiled by the House committee on political development, will be circulated to all parties concerned, including Channel 3 and all political parties, within two weeks.
In one of its recommendations, the report urged the TV station to comply with the media ethics code by taking Sorrayuth off the air.
Committee chair Suppachai Srilar said he was disappointed that Sorrayuth had failed to cooperate with the hearing on his indictment handed down by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
“The House committee gave Sorrayuth the opportunity to present his side of the story – just as he did when checking on public officials – but he refused to testify,” Suppachai said.
In graft cases, the public officials involved are obliged to suspend their duties once the NACC rules that it suspects wrongdoing in order to pave way for prosecution, he said. The report called on Sorrayuth to step aside until the judicial review is complete.
Sorrayuth has been accused of fraud in connection with a news production contract between his Rai Som company and MCOT.
