All 44 ‘rubber sapling defendants’ found not guilty: Supreme Court

BANGKOK, Sept 21 (TNA) – Thailand’s Supreme Court Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions on Monday handed down its verdict that all 44 defendants in the Bt1.44 billion (about US$41 million) rubber sapling project graft case were not guilty.

Key members of the coalition’s Bhumjaithai party showed up at court to give moral support to Mr Newin Chidchob, the party’s key figure and a defendant. It was believed that Mr Newin, once a close aide to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, also played a behind the scene roles in the formation of the coalition government led by Democrat Party.

In almost three hours of verdict reading, the court said that there was nothing wrong with the terms of reference for the project bids and there were no irregularities in the project’s budget disbursement as the money was needed to help the farmers.

According to the ruling, the defendants had no responsibility to return the budget involved to the state.

The defendants are divided into three groups – politicians, members of the civil service committee implementing the project, and private companies including Charoen Pokphand Seeds, a subsidiary of Thailand’s largest agro-industrial conglomerate, the Charoen Pokphand Group.

The now-defunct Assets Exami-nation Committee (AEC) and National Counter Corruption Commission, now known as the National Anti-Corruption Commission, indicted 44 people, including Mr Newin, for alleged irregularities in the procurement of 90 million saplings to dispense to farmers.

Besides Newin, four others are high-profile politicians–Somkid Jatusripitak, then deputy prime minister who chaired a committee on policies and measures to help farmers; Varathep Ratanakorn, then deputy finance minister; Sora-at Klinprathum, then agriculture minister; and Adisai Bodharamik, then commerce minister–all affiliated with the now disbanded Thai Rak Thai party in the Thaksin government.

Mr Newin in 2007 was banned from politics for five years following revelations of electoral fraud committed by the Thai Rak Thai Party when he was an executive member.

Mr Newin initiated the project to buy 90 million rubber saplings for Bt1.44 billion to be implemented from 2004 to 2006. The saplings were expected to make a million rai of new rubber plantations in 36 provinces in the North and Northeastern regions. However, there were complaints of delayed delivery of the saplings and of their being substandard.

The defendants in the case were accused of malfeasance, abuse of authority and corruption. (TNA)