Court allows foreigners to testify by video-conferencing
The Supreme Court will allow five foreigners to testify via video teleconferencing in the corruption case involving former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and 20 other individuals accused of using fake government-to-government (G-to-G) deals to sel
The witnesses for the defendants include five unnamed Chinese businessmen and officials based in China and Singapore, who will testify in the case from their country of residence. It is the first time that the Supreme Court on criminal offences of political office holders has granted permission to hear witnesses via video teleconferencing.
Former commerce minister Boonsong welcomed the move and said it will prove the status of Guangdong Stationary and Sporting Goods Import and Export, and Hainan Grain and Oil Industrial Trading. He said that he had not asked the court to allow senior executives of these two firms to testify. The two Chinese companies were involved in the allegedly fake G-to-G rice deals.
Earlier, another state witness in a related rice-pledging case involving former premier Yingluck Shinawatra, testified that the previous government had committed to sell 14 million tonnes under G-to-G deals, but there were valid contracts for only 1 million tonnes.
