No lobbying for impeachment cases, just legal checks, Prayut says
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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha rejected speculation yesterday that there had been lobbying for the National Legislative Assembly to not impeach the former president of Parliament Somsak Kiatsuranon and former Parliament vice president Nikom Wairatpanich
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) found the pair guilty of violating the Constitution by pushing for amendments on the composition of the Senate.
The PM said the NLA suspended debate on the impeachment cases due to legal technicalities. “It is not that they want to pardon anyone. The matter must be dealt in a straightforward manner. We have to look into legal issues if we can go ahead with the impeachment. If we are not sure, we have to set up a panel to scrutinise all legal aspects till we are confident about the legal issues,” he said.
Asked if this case would affect the possibility that former PM Yingluck Shinawatra would face impeachment over her handling of the rice-pledging scheme, Prayut said it was not related. “I have not targeted anyone. Whoever commits any offence will face legal action. There are so many of them,” he said.
