Thaksin’s lawyers submit new petition to OAG over lese majesty case
Complaint says NCPO junta interfered in original investigation
Lawyers for Thaksin Shinawatra have submitted a fresh petition protesting the Office of the Attorney General (OAG)’s decision to charge the paroled former prime minister with lese majesty.
OAG sources said the new petition argues that police investigators in charge of the case took orders from the National Council for Peace and Order junta that came to power following the 2014 coup.
Thaksin is due to be formally indicted on June 18 on charges of breaching Article 112 of the criminal code and computer crime stemming from a May 2015 interview he gave in Seoul to a South Korean newspaper. He allegedly said certain privy councillors were behind the coup against his sister Yingluck’s government in 2014.
OAG sources said the new petition claims police investigators were pressured and even intimidated by the NCPO after it brought the case following the coup.
The petition also stated that Thaksin did not mention the monarchy or express contempt or malicious intentions towards the royal family in the interview, which thus should not have been deemed a breach of Article 112.
The sources said Attorney-General Amnat Jetcharoenrakl would consider whether the new petition warranted an order for more investigation in the case. If so, he may postpone Thaksin’s arraignment from June 18.
Thaksin submitted his first petition in the case to the OAG on January 17, while still detained at the Police General Hospital before parole release in February.
Amnat said he had ordered more investigation after receiving the first petition but still decided to go ahead and indict Thaksin. The attorney-general did not disclose the contents of the first petition.
