BMA, courts join hands to help suspects get bail without collateral

THURSDAY, June 30, 2022

THE NATION

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Court of Justice to develop a system that would allow the release of criminal suspects on bail without depositing assets as collateral.

Chadchart and Court of Justice secretary-general Jirapat Phanthawee signed the MoU in a ceremony held at Sanya Thammasak Hall on the seventh floor of the Court of Justice Officials Development Institution in Chatuchak district.

The MoU will see the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) join hands with the Court of Justice to reform the system and allow the court to temporarily release suspects in criminal cases without requiring them to deposit assets as collateral.

The system plans to use information to assess risks from the temporary release in line with criminology. The project will see the two agencies cooperate in appointing supervisors for the suspects during their temporary release.

The two sides said the release on bail under the new system would reduce unnecessary detentions and reduce the use of assets as collateral to make it fair for suspects from poor families.

BMA, courts join hands to help suspects get bail without collateral During the signing ceremony, Chadchart thanked the Court of Justice for initiating the project.

“The BMA has a policy to affirm the basic human rights of the people to receive bail during court trials,” Chadchart said.

“This project will help reduce the social gap because several suspects do not have money to deposit for bail.”

Chadchart said Bangkok has about 2,000 communities with committees overseeing them. He said chairmen and committees of the communities have close ties with their residents so they could function as supervisors of suspects during their release on bail.

“This project will help us reduce the gap and it will distribute power to the communities to help take care of themselves,” Chadchart said.

BMA, courts join hands to help suspects get bail without collateral He said chairs of the communities would be able to assure the judges whether the suspects can be released temporarily.

He said the BMA would soon comply and send to the court a list of community leaders who could function as supervisors.

Jirapat said during the ceremony that the project would allow judges to release more suspects during the trials.

He said cooperation from community committees to monitor the released suspects would ensure safety for the communities and Bangkok.

BMA, courts join hands to help suspects get bail without collateral He said the communities’ committees could also provide advice to the released suspects to behave, and the project would ensure equality among Bangkok residents to receive the right to be released temporarily during court trials.