Yingluck's commerce minister sentenced to 42-year jail term

By APD Writer Chen Jiabao

BANKGOK, Aug 25 (APD) -- The Supreme Court of Thailand on Friday has sentenced the former commerce minister in Yingluck Shinawatra's government involving a rice trading scam to a 42-year in jail.

Boonsong Teriyapirom, the ex-commerce minister and his deputy minister Phumi Saraphol received jail terms of 42 years and 36 years, respectively for their leading roles in executing fake government-to-government (GtoG) rice export deals.

Boonsong was sentenced for conspiring with officials and businessmen in a fraudulent export deal with unauthorized Chinese state firms to resell rice bought from farmers under an agricultural subsidy program.

Despite being passed off as a government-to-government transaction to skirt transparency and open bidding, the rice ended up in the hands of domestic rice sellers.

The court denied the defendants' bail requests, citing the gravity of the crimes. The defendants also have to pay damages about several billion baht to the Finance Ministry.

After the verdict was read, Boonsong and other 29 defendants were escorted to Bangkok Special Prison.

The case was a key part of another trial due to return a verdict on Friday: that of former Prime Minister Yingluck, who was accused for turning a blind eye to the large scale corruption.

However, Yingluck failed to show up to the court, saying she was too ill to hear the verdict.

The court has issued an arrest warrant against the first woman prime minister of Thailand and postponed the verdict to Sep 27.

Her whereabouts remain unknown.

Defense Minister Prawit Pongsuwan said Yingluck might have left the country.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)