By Thai Newsroom Reporters
OFFERED PAYOFFS might probably be the only way to attempt to save the court-suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from being deposed as head of government in a court verdict on an impeachment lawsuit scheduled for the upcoming Friday, according to a former senior government official.
Fears of kickbacks in cash being offered to judges of the Constitutional Court have quickly prevailed among members of the public as the judgment day is approaching to determine whether Paetongtarn, daughter of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, will be ruled guilty of ouster-invoking misconduct allegedly perpetrated in severe breach of ethics and in lack of evident honesty pertaining to last June’s leaked cellphone talk between Cambodian leader Hun Sen and herself about Thai-Cambodian border conflict.
That public concerns were exponentially rising at the moment over the probability of payoffs in cash being offered in hush-hush, surreptitious fashion to the judges of the Constitutional Court in exchange for an acquittal for the beleaguered prime minister from the historic impeachment case was not an unprecedented phenomenon, remarked former National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn Patanathabut.
In 2008, Pichit Chuenban, a former lawyer for the prime minister’s father, had been arrested for literally leaving bags containing two million baht in cash in the premises of the Supreme Court deliberately meant to be a payoff for some judges and consequently sentenced to six months in jail.
Last year, one of Paetongtarn’s predecessors, namely Srettha Thavisin, was deposed by court as head of government in a similar impeachment lawsuit for naming the ex-lawyer-turned-convict for minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Though rumours of offered kickbacks in cash widely circulated today may be largely viewed as an attempted discredit, smear campaign against the judges, it was not an unprecedented phenomenon in the political landscape.
“That might probably be the only way left for anyone to try to keep the prime minister in power after all other efforts may have probably failed,” the ex-NSC chief said.
Some government critics concluded that Paetongtarn would likely be judged guilty on the upcoming Friday, thus being deprived of her elected premiership, whilst others forecast that she would barely survive the impeachment case and remain in power under constant support from her father/de facto Pheu Thai boss who has invariably expressed confidence that his daughter would be finally acquitted by court. Some predicted a narrow 5:4 votes among the nine judges to exonerate her.
The ex-NSC chief said his current successor, namely Chatchai Bangchuad, would not be of much help to Paetongtarn after he had recently given testimony before the Constitutional Court in relation to national security matters because, he said, the prime minister’s overly submissive, verbal expressions evidently manifested in the exposed audio clip of her talk with Hun Sen, father of her Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet, would primarily carry more weight than anything else.
Paradorn said Paetongtarn would likely be judged guilty of the allegedly unethical and dishonest conduct allegedly tantamount to an act of treason not only detrimental to the honour and prestige of the woman prime minister herself but to those of Thailand’s armed services.
He referred in part to the event in which she called Second Army Area Commander Lt.Gen. Boonsin Padklang in charge of security measures in northeastern Thailand “one of those on the opposite side” and spontaneously offered to do whatever the senior Cambodian leader whom she called “uncle” may have demanded to satisfy him during their leaked cellphone chitchat.
The ex-NSC chief said the Thai-Cambodian border disputes cannot be peacefully resolved with Thailand’s interests being effectively protected and maintained under Paetongtarn as head of government since the Shinawatra family had fostered a close, personal relationship with the Hun family in Cambodia until it was apparently broken at the height of last month’s border tensions which led to five-day clashes between armed forces of the neighbouring countries resulting in many fatalities and injuries on both sides.
He suggested that she call it quits shortly to preempt Friday’s court ruling which, he said, would likely come out to her chagrin.
If the prime minister stepped down at any time ahead of the date for the court verdict on her impeachment case, the judges may or may not take liberty to proceed with it. However, she could possibly not only lose her elected premiership but have her political future completely denied by law for life if judged guilty by court.
However, the beleaguered prime minister who also testified before the court last Thursday has invariably refused to step down and contended that whatever she had said to Hun Sen had not caused damage to the country or benefitted herself in any way. The prime minister has been ultimately encouraged by her power-playing father to fight to the end the legal battle over which she has been assured of a victory whilst he himself was reportedly taking all-in efforts to help.
CAPTIONS:
Suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, above, and with her father/de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, Front Page. Both photos: Thai Rath
Insert: Former National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn Patanathabut. Photo: Thai Rath
Also read:
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Paetongtarn’s refusal to step down means predicted survival in court: Academic
Paetongtarn advised to admit making mistake during chitchat with Hun Sen
Myanmar junta says historic railway bridge ‘bombed, destroyed’
Thai army warns Cambodia might not fully implement agreements
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