Panya asks for 'bribe' letter
Supreme Court president Panya Thanomrod has asked the top Justice Ministry official to submit the evidence he claims is proof of a bribery attempt to sway judicial opinion in the Thai Rak Thai Party electoral-fraud case.
"Panya wants the Judiciary Commission to examine the evidence in order to get to the bottom of the attempted bribes," Panya's secretary-general Patarasak Wannasaeng said yesterday.Under Panya's instruction, a memorandum was sent to Justice Ministry permanent secretary Charan Pakdithanakul, who has in his possession a signed letter allegedly offering bribes and circulated by two senior officials acting as brokers, Patarasak said. Charan forwarded the evidence on Thursday to the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC), but the judiciary said it was in a "better position" to deal with the issue. Judiciary Commission deputy secretary-general Sarawut Benjathikul said the bribery offers might not constitute a wrongdoing under the NCCC's jurisdiction if the suspects involved had not abused their office to convince the judges to accept the kickbacks. The NCCC could step in only if there were grounds to suspect abuse of power in connection with the bribes, otherwise the case is a criminal offence under police jurisdiction, he said. Sarawut urged Charan to help the judiciary launch an internal investigation into the issue instead of counting on other agencies. Justice Minister Charnchai Likhitjittha dismissed speculation about a rift between his ministry and the judiciary caused by Charan's revelation of the bribery offers.
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