NLA may defer Yingluck impeachment proceedings
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The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) looks likely to postpone impeachment proceedings against former PM Yingluck Shinawatra after her lawyers insisted that she had not received the relevant documents yet.
NLA deputy president Peerasak Porjit said the assembly would meet today to decide whether to put the impeachment off by 30 days as requested by Yingluck’s lawyers.
Peerasak said he felt that Yingluck deserved the chance to prepare for the case, seeing she had just returned from an overseas trip and did not have documents related to the charges pressed against her by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
The NACC is suing the former premier for failing to stem corruption and huge losses to the state in the rice-pledging scheme.
He said NLA meeting regulations stipulated that the NACC writ must be submitted to the accused at least 15 days before the first assembly meeting.
“It is likely the NLA will defer the impeachment, but the question is by how many days,” he said.
NLA whip spokesman Jetn Sirathranont said the assembly would find out today if it was true that Yingluck had not received the documents, but thought it unlikely that the case would be deferred by 30 days as requested by her lawyers.
He said impeachment proceedings against former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont and former Senate speaker Nikom Wairatpanij would be held on November 27.
