Yingluck must answer herself, NLA insists
Play
AFTER PERSISTENT protests by members, which led to a closed-door meeting yesterday, the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) decided not to allow representatives for former PM Yingluck Shinawatra to answer questions on her behalf.
The questions related to corruption allegations in the rice-pledging scheme, as part of the impeachment motion against her.
By yesterday afternoon, the NLA resolved to pose 35 questions for Yingluck in her absence.
Former acting PM Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan, who led the group of nine representatives including former deputy PM Kittiratt Na-Ranong, said he was sorry to have lost the opportunity to provide answers to the Assembly, which would have helped them decide whether or not to impeach Yingluck.
However, he said, Yingluck would appear in person to provide closing remarks next Thursday. Two lawyers, including Pichit Chuenban, were also part of Yingluck’s team of representatives.
If Yingluck is found guilty, she will be barred from politics for five years.
Asked whether Yingluck would spend a very long time answering the 35 questions posed to her yesterday, Niwatthamrong said that most of the questions could be cut down to a few points. He pointed out that offering to answer questions on Yingluck’s behalf was not forbidden anywhere.
Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai had initially agreed with this, but many NLA members took to the floor to oppose the idea, which eventually led to a 40-minute closed-door meeting. The NLA emerged from the meeting after concluding that only Yingluck would be allowed to answer these questions.
Pichit, who is Yingluck’s personal legal adviser, claimed the decision went against the interim charter’s Article 10, which guarantees the right of reply to the accused.
“We want this basic right,”
Pichit told the assembly.
However, NLA members responded by saying that nobody had prevented Yingluck from showing up yesterday, and the fact she had not even provided an explanation for her absence meant she had no intention of answering the questions herself.
“As she hasn’t shown up, she has lost the right,” NLA member Somchai Sawaengkarn said.
