Thailand proposes death penalty for corrupt public officials

KUCHING: A proposal to impose death penalty on any convicted corrupt public official who incurs more than Bt1 billion ( RM125mil) in damage to the country has been tabled for Thailand National Reform Steering Assembly ( NRSA) meeting, reports The Nation.

The proposal was made by its political reform steering committee, chaired by Seree-Suwanpanont, as part of their report on regulation and scrutiny of the exercise of government power.

The NRSA will also consider a proposal for adjustment in the recruitment of independent agency commissioners.

Besides tougher examination of politicians, the committee proposed that state officials be scrutinised equally in corruption cases.

The reform drivers proposed five years imprisonment for convicted corrupt officials who incur no more than Bt1 million losses to the state.

Under the proposals, those incurring from Bt1 million to Bt10 million and Bt10 million to Bt100 million should face 10 and 20 years jail respectively, while those inflicting losses between Bt100 million |and Bt1 billion should receive a life term.

The committee also proposed that once the NRSA passed the report, it should be submitted to the Cabinet, the National Legislative Assembly ( NLA) and the Constitution Drafting Commission for further deliberation.