NACC chief admits tie with Prawit may be seen as his ‘weakness’
NATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION Commission (NACC) President Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit conceded yesterday that his close connection with Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan may be seen as a weakness when dealing with a potential court appeal involving the 2008 crackdown on yellow shirts.
“It’s normal, it’s something that cannot be denied. It’s part of my career,” said Watcharapol. “But how I act is a different matter.”
Watcharapol insisted that the NACC would meet the 30-day deadline to decide whether it would appeal the case.
The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders last Wednesday acquitted former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, his deputy Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, and then-Metropolitan police chief Pol Lt-General Suchart Muenkaew, and then-police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwan, Prawit’s brother.
The four were found not guilty in regard to the police crackdown on yellow-shirt protesters in October 2008 that left two people dead and more than 400 injured.
The People’s Alliance for Democracy, which led the protest, has petitioned the NACC to appeal the case.