No time to prepare, lawyers say
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Legal team for Yingluck complain about impeachment hearing next Wednesday
Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s legal team yesterday complained that the National Legislative Assembly had given them little time to prepare for the start of its impeachment process against Yingluck on November 12.
The legal team said it received a call from an NLA official yesterday telling them to have Yingluck appear at the assembly session on that day, team member Pichit Chuenban said.
The NLA will consider a request by the National Anti-Corruption Commission to impeach Yingluck in connection with her government’s rice price-pledging scheme.
“Yingluck has not received any documents from the NLA. We have no time to plan for our witnesses to appear at the first session,” Pichit said.
He added that according to the NLA’s meeting regulations, an accused party should be given relevant documents about the impeachment case at least 15 days before the first meeting.
NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said that Yingluck would be allowed to send representatives to testify on her behalf before the assembly on her impeachment case.
Yingluck was found guilty by the NACC of being derelict in her duty to stop corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.
Somsak, Nikom case: November 27
Meanwhile, Pornpetch said the assembly would hold its first meeting to consider an impeachment case against former Parliament president Somsak Kiatsuranon and his deputy Nikom Wairatpanich on November 27.
“The secretariat of the NLA has forwarded the case they received from the NACC to the alleged two politicians already, if any NLA members have questions they can ask for more information via the assembly,” Pornpetch said.
On Wednesday, a majority of NLA members voted that they have the authority to pursue the impeachment case further after debate for months over the matter.
Somsak and Nikom were found guilty by the National Anti-Corruption Commission of seeking to amend the 2007 Constitution in violation of the charter, by pushing for an amendment on the make-up of the Senate.
NLA vice-president Surachai Liengboonlertchai explained the process to scrutinise the impeachment case against Somsak and Nikom to the assembly, saying that they can request more witnesses and evidence.
“The alleged politicians who are facing the impeachment case can ask for more witness or evidence in relation to the case but it would have to be before November 27, when the NLA will consider whether they will grant their requests
or not,” Surachai said.
The NLA vice-president said the assembly would have to set up a panel to gather questions from NLA members to ensure neutrality between two sides and also eliminate repeated questions. The questions needed to be sent before the second meeting, he said.
