Decision on Yingluck 'negligence' case not till next year

A decision had earlier been expected tomorrow at a meeting between the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Attorney-General.

Wuthipong said the NACC and the Office normally met on December 25 each year to discuss cases they jointly worked on. He expected the agencies would discuss what the Office has called “holes” in Yingluck’s case.

“Although the Office has called an urgent meeting for Thursday, it is unlikely that we can resolve the case this year. We might have to call another meeting early next year. This case is under the public spotlight, so we have to speed up the decision,” he said.

He said state prosecutors still insisted the anti-graft agency should interrogate more witnesses. “If the NACC accepts the Office’s demand to question more witnesses, prosecutors may take up the case for indictment,” he said.

The meeting tomorrow will be the fourth between the Office and NACC on the rice-pledging scheme.

Wuthipong said he would not attend because he had already presented points he wanted to cover in the case.

The Office had earlier called on the NACC to question witnesses over the existence of a government-to-government rice deal. The agency, however, insisted that was not necessary, as the information would be irrelevant because the NACC had accused Yingluck of dereliction of duty to stop corruption.

NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljiak said not all members of the joint panel would attend the meeting as some had other business to finish but that would not affect the outcome. He said an NACC member would present an audit report on the first and second rounds of the rice scheme as urged by General Boonsrang Niumpradit, chairman of the National Legislative Assembly’s committee on administration.

He said the joint panel might meet again after New Year.