Former agriculture minister Chucheep, secretary jailed six years over fertilizer scandal
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The Supreme Court Wednesday sentenced former agriculture minister Chucheep Harnsawat and his secretary to six years in jail each for refusing to stop irregularities in the fertilizer procurement worth Bt300 million.
The court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders found Chucheep, 72, guilty of violating the government agencies’ bidding act and Criminal Code.
His secretary, Witthaya Thienthong, 75, was found guilty of aiding Chucheep to commit the crimes.
The two were accused of committing the crimes from February 17 2001 to September 20 2002. The attorney general filed charges against them with the Supreme Court on March 31 2015.
After five hours of meeting to make final decision on the ruling and sentence, the judges announced that Chucheep rushed to hold bidding for the fertilizer procurement without checking irregularities of the seller and he definitely knew about the irregularities from the beginning.
The judges said after the permanent secretary for Agriculture Ministry and the National Anti-Corruption Commission warned him of the irregularities, Chucheep failed to stop the procurement immediately but he waited until the Agricultural Promotion Department inked the selling contract with the seller, the Farmers Assembly of Thailand, the judges ruled.
The two were taken to the Bangkok Remand Prison at 5:16 pm.
