NLA impeaches Pracha
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The National Legislative Assembly Friday impeached former deputy interior minister Pracha Prasopdee for allegedly abusing his authority to interfere in the operation of a state firm.
The NLA voted 182 to 7 to impeach Pracha. Two NLA members abstained.
The voting was conducted in secret balloting. It requires at least 131 votes of three fifths of 218 NLA members to approve an impeachment.
Because of the impeachment, Pracha will be banned from holding political office for five years.
The voting came a day after the NLA heard closing statements from Pracha and the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
In her closing statement, NACC member Supha Piyajitti told the NLA that Pracha allegedly abused his authority by calling the chairman of the board of directors of the Marketing Organization on November 11 2012 to ask it to postpone its meeting on November 12 2012. The board was scheduled to consider sacking the organization’s director. The board did not postpone the meeting and proceeded to sack the director.
Supha said Pracha violated the 2007 charter that prohibited political office holders from interfering in the works of state firms.
But Pracha argued in his closing statement that he had the authority as the deputy interior minister in charge of the state firm to give orders to the organization.
