NLA rejects conflict of interest plea in Nikom impeachment case
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The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday rejected an appeal and additional evidence submitted by Nikom Wairatpanich, former deputy Parliament president, in his impeachment case.
The NLA, which resolved to hold its first hearing on the impeachment case against former Parliament president Somsak Kiatsuranon and his deputy Nikom on January 8, voted 96:82 with 14 abstentions to exclude video recordings of a meeting last year over a proposed amendment to the 2007 Constitution.
Nikom and Somsak were accused by the National Anti-Corruption Commission of violating the 2007 Constitution by pushing for charter changes in relation to the composition of the Senate.
Nikom claimed that false information had been forwarded to the NACC that he had not been taking a neutral position at the meeting as required by his role as acting Parliament president.
He also opposed 16 NLA members taking part in the impeachment process, saying they were former senators who had filed the NACC case against him and could be in conflict of interest.
Nikom claimed that if they participated in the impeachment process it could affect the votes in the final stage, which would not be neutral to the case.
NLA President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai finally dismissed Nikom’s objection and let the 16 members take part in the impeachment scrutiny process. He reasoned that no articles in the defunct 2007 charter or the Anti-Corruption Act barred any NLA members from considering an impeachment case.
Pornpetch also insisted that every member would be scrutinising the case neutrally without personal prejudices towards Nikom or Somsak.
