Top court upholds guilty verdict against Bhumjaithai MP Natee
The Supreme Administrative Court on Thursday (August 27) upheld the guilty verdict for Natee Ratchakitprakarn, a Bhumjaithai party-list MP after the March 24, 2019 election, for concealing assets and debts worth of Bt95 million.
The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders had earlier ruled Natee guilty for non-disclosure of her personal finances.
The case came to light after Natee filed her financial report with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) as required under the law, after the House of Representatives was dissolved in December 2013. The NACC took the case to court after discovering that she had failed to include in her disclosure property and land worth about Bt2 million that she owned in Phatthalung province, as well as debts owed by her and her husband totalling Bt93 million.
The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders on July 9, 2019 halved the penalty of two months in jail and a Bt8,000 fine, and suspended the jail term for a year because Natee had no police history. The court also divested the politician of her electoral rights for five years from December 9, 2013 and due to this, she also lost her party-list MP seat.
Natee challenged the verdict in the Supreme Administrative Court but the top court ruled against her.