NLA passes regulation to impeach politicians

The NLA yesterday voted 128 to nine to approve one of the NLA regulations that allows the body to impeach politicians. The regulation comes into effect today.

High-profile politicians facing impeachment include former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, former Parliament president Somsak Kiatsuranon, and former Parliament vice president Nikom Wairatpanich. 

In the Yingluck case, the National Anti-Corruption Commission had earlier said it would forward her impeachment case – which involved a dereliction of duty charge in relation to the scrapped rice-pledging scheme – to the NLA once the meeting regulations draft was passed. 

If found guilty, Yingluck would be banned from politics for five years. 

Somsak and Nikom were found guilty of breaching the constitution through abuse of power over the amendment bill on the make-up of the Senate. 

The NACC had already forwarded the two cases to the Senate before it was dissolved. 

NLA member Thani Onla-eiad had proposed an amendment in the draft in order to set up a committee to screen impeachment cases before they were submitted to the NLA.

During the NLA’s deliberation of the draft, he said he did not oppose the body being allowed to impeach politicians but wanted to protect NLA President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai and the body’s first and second vice presidents, He said if the NLA approved the draft it would be dangerous for the president and vice presidents because the provisional constitution did not say anything about the impeachment power. 

If the president put an impeachment case on the NLA agenda, the person impeached would accuse him of negligence and take legal action.

But NLA member Tuang Anthachai said the body had the power to impeach politicians because the provisional charter empowered it to act as the Senate and the House of Representatives. 

Tuang said the national anti-corruption law empowered the Senate to impeach 17 political office positions.

“This [regulation] will help guarantee fairness to the accused,” Tuang said. The NLA passed the whole draft on its third reading.