Pheu Thai adviser gives thumbs up to Yingluck's defence

He was also confident that all questions by the NLA’s committee regarding the accusation by the anti-graft agency of Yingluck’s dereliction of duty in the controversial rice-pledging scheme could be answered and explained. 
However, he said it still remains to be decided between Yingluck and her legal advisers whether she would attend the meeting and herself answer questions or send her representatives.
Meanwhile, National Reform Council (NRC) member Direk Thuengfang, who is one of 38 former senators facing impeachment, said that he, along with the rest of the accused former senators will hold a meeting to discuss and prepare their approach on the upcoming meeting with the NLA members.
From initial discussions, he said it is likely that one individual would be given responsibility to represent all members of the group. The group’s representative will be decided at their upcoming meeting on 14 January.
NLA vice president Surachai Liangboonlertchai yesterday said the next stage of the impeachment process of Yingluck, former Senate speaker Nikhom Wairatpanich and former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranon, would involve questioning by the NLA committee members.
The purpose of the question time is for the NLA members to hear the defence of the accused, so that the legislators were better informed in order to make an accurate judgement.
The NLA members will vote on the impeachment cases on January 23.
The impeachment cases, especially the Yingluck case, had been at the centre of nationwide attention because of worries that any decision by the NLA it would upset millions of people on one side of the political spectrum or the other.
This could deal a setback to the reconciliation efforts of the junta since the May 22 coup.
Pheu Thai interim spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said Yingluck’s explanation on the much-debated rice-scheme to NLA members yesterday would provide useful information on the positive impact of the scheme to the country.
He also urged the public to examine the conduct of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) towards the Yingluck administration and Pheu Thai Party.
Anusorn questioned the country’s “standard of justice”. He said the anti-graft commission’s sole focus had been on submitting cases against them while they had not made much progress in the suspicions of corruption in the Democrat-led government’s rice-subsidy scheme.