Justice minister submits opinion on Thaksin’s petition for royal clemency

Justice Minister Pol Lt-General Rutthapon Naowarat said on Monday that he had submitted his opinion on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s petition for royal clemency to the Cabinet Secretariat.

Rutthapon said he could not disclose the content of his opinion because the petition and its accompanying documents were classified as confidential official documents.

Thaksin filed the petition for royal clemency for the second time, after the Supreme Court ordered him back to prison on September 9 to serve a one-year sentence.
 

In his first petition, Thaksin was granted royal clemency that commuted his eight-year prison term, handed down in three corruption cases, to one year.

Rutthapon explained that under Article 259 of the Criminal Procedure Code, any inmate has the right to submit a petition seeking royal clemency.

He said the previous justice minister had already submitted his opinion on Thaksin’s petition as part of the normal procedure. However, after Rutthapon assumed office, the Cabinet Secretariat decided to request a fresh opinion from the new justice minister before forwarding the petition to the Royal Palace.

Following the request, Rutthapon instructed the permanent secretary for justice to set up a special committee to review the matter within three days.

The permanent secretary submitted the committee’s findings to him on Monday, he said. After reviewing the report, Rutthapon forwarded his official opinion to the Cabinet Secretariat the same day, in accordance with Article 261 of the Criminal Procedure Code.