Court extends rice appeal deadline
The Supreme Court judges handling the fake rice-deal case against former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and 24 others have agreed to extend the appeal deadline by 30 days.
According to a report by
Isra News Agency, the request to extend the deadline to appeal the Aug 25 ruling was lodged by the prosecution on Monday and granted by the judges on the same day.
In the ruling, the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions found 17 people including Boonsong guilty for their role in the fake government-to-government (G-toG) rice scheme.
It ordered them to pay compensation in proportion to the damage caused to the country.
Eight defendants were acquitted. They were mostly rice millers accused of aiding Boonsong and associates to commit offences in relation to the release of pledged rice under the G-to-G scheme. Three others who were indicted fled j ustice and faced arrest warrants.
The prosecution and defendants have 30 days to appeal against the court’s decision.
The Supreme Court granted the extension as more time was considered necessary to prepare all the documents, it said.
Prosecutors are now seeking heavier punishments and more compensation against the 17. They are also appealing the not guilty ruling against the eight who were acquitted.
The court ordered the defendants to pay for damages in the rice-pledging scheme but the prosecution felt the amounts ordered were too low.
Boonsong was given a 42-year sentence last month by the Supreme Court for his role in the scheme, a flagship policy under the Yingluck Shinawatra administration.
A source at the Office of the AttorneyGeneral (OAG) said prosecutors need more time to go through the case file and prepare the appeal. They sought a 60-day extension but the judges granted 30 days, the source said.