OAG puts Thaksin’s lese majeste case on hold until May 29
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) on Wednesday gave former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra a second reprieve until May 29, saying it needs further investigation into the lese majeste charges against him.
It was the second time that the OAG had deferred its decision as to whether to arraign Thaksin in the lese majeste and computer-crime charges related to his interview to foreign media back on May 21, 2015.
The OAG deferred its decision on the lese majeste case against Thaksin for the first time on February 19 after Attorney General Amnat Chetcharoenra received a plea for fair treatment from Thaksin.
After the plea was received, OAG spokesman Prayut Phetcharakhun announced that it would make a decision on Wednesday, April 10, as it needed more time to conduct more investigation.
On Wednesday, Prayut announced that the investigation was only 70-80% complete, so the OAG needed to defer its decision in the case to May 29.
Thaksin did not come to the OAG head office to hear a decision as the office had informed him a day earlier that the decision would be delayed, Prayut added.
Only Thaksin’s lawyer Winyatti Chartmontree came to the office to be formally informed of the deferment of the decision.
Lese majeste charges were filed against Thaksin concerning comments he made in an interview with Korean media in 2015.
