Give graft court death penalty powers: Veera
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THE charter drafters have been urged to set up a corruption court empowered to give corrupt officials the death penalty if the damage to the state from their crimes exceeds Bt5 million.
Veera Somkwamkid, secretary-general of the People’s Network against Corruption, made the suggestion in a letter submitted to Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) chairman Borwornsak Uwanno yesterday.
Veera said his long fight against graft made him realise that lax and ineffective laws caused anti-corruption efforts to fail. He proposed that corruption cases have no statute of limitations and a special court be set up to try them.
He said politicians convicted for corruption must be banned from politics for life and have all assets confiscated if their cases proceeded through three courts. Politicians or state officials convicted of corruption with less than Bt1 million must be jailed for 20 years, allowed no pardon, or have their sentences commuted, he said.
If damage to the state was above Bt1 million, they must be given a life-sentence without right of pardon. Veera said those convicted should also face civil suits, which force them to pay compensation – double the amount of damage to the state.
All political office holders must declare their assets to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. They must not run in elections for more than two consecutive terms, he proposed.
Veera also said that members of civic groups should declare their assets. Independent agencies in charge of corruption cases must finish graft probes within one year.
