Armed with fresh evidence, Transport Ministry likely to approach Criminal Court in Hopewell case

[webfact]

Armed with fresh evidence, Transport Ministry likely to approach Criminal Court in Hopewell case

By The Nation

 

Saksyam Chidchob (File Photo)

 

Transport Minister Saksyam Chidchob said on Tuesday (Sep. 24) that the committee on the Hopewell case chaired by Pisak Jitwiriyawasin, deputy permanent secretary at the ministry, has found eight new pieces of evidence of corruption in the project that will enable the ministry to file a case in the Criminal Court.

 

“The committee is currently gathering all related details and will present them to me this week,” he said. “I am confident the new evidence will make a valid base for a corruption case, and consequently tip the scales in our favour.

 

“If the Transport Ministry was not certain that we would win, we wouldn’t try to make a move towards the Criminal Court,” said the minister. “However, the result is dependent on the court’s discretion.”

 

According to Saksyam, the committee on Hopewell is also working on a plan to pay compensation to Hopewell in case the latter wins the case.

 

“We are coming up with a plan as to where to get the money from and how to pay, but only in case we lose,” he said.

 

A payment of Bt11.88 billion to Hopewell is due on October 19.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30376641

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-09-24

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[Cadbury]

57 minutes ago, webfact said:

the committee on the Hopewell case chaired by Pisak Jitwiriyawasin, deputy permanent secretary at the ministry, has found eight new pieces of evidence of corruption in the project that will enable the ministry to file a case in the Criminal Court.

Desperation is setting in. Potential foreign investors are sure to be watching this circus and wondering why the hell would anyone want to invest in Thailand. The Supreme Court has already found in favour of Hopewell against the SRT to the tune of 37 billion baht. Another Court has subsequently rejected an appeal by SRT. 

 

57 minutes ago, webfact said:

According to Saksyam, the committee on Hopewell is also working on a plan to pay compensation to Hopewell in case the latter wins the case.

It looks like SRT and the government could be about to put their own heads in a noose if these criminal charges relate to corruption. Government scapegoats will have to found to take the rap for the big boys.

But it is doubtful that Hopewell will win. The judicial fix would surely be in place before they made such a move.

Note: They refer to the payment of 11.88 billion baht to Hopewell. They have forgotten to mention the interest on the debt which brings the total to 37 billion baht

https://www.thephuketnews.com/hopewell-petition-rejected-72621.php#fpLMu3mwcfCOcFiW.97

[colinneil]

Invest in Thailand, we will get you to invest in very large contracts here, then come up with whatever skullduggery we can to avoid paying you.

 

[LomSak27]

45 minutes ago, webfact said:

the committee on the Hopewell case chaired by Pisak Jitwiriyawasin, deputy permanent secretary at the ministry, has found eight new pieces of evidence of corruption in the project that will enable the ministry to file a case in the Criminal Court.

 

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise.

 

It must have been on those boxes downstairs all along.       Better to keep stringing it out, than actually admit guilt and pay up.  

[Cadbury]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

“We are coming up with a plan as to where to get the money from and how to pay,

The answer to that is simple. The SRT is a State run government enterprise. The government pays, just like it pays for the debts and new planes for Thai Airways

Why does it need a committee to come up with such a simple plan?

Because Thai committees are formed so as not to reach decisions but to avoid them.

[Grumpy John]

Every time I hear about the Hopewell case I think is this a Banana Republic or a 3rd world country.  ????

[Cadbury]

7 minutes ago, Grumpy John said:

Every time I hear about the Hopewell case I think is this a Banana Republic or a 3rd world country.  ????

Not either or, It's both!

[Assurancetourix]

Not knowing what we're talking about on this post, I went to the fishing information at my friend Google who gave me what I was looking for ..Oops, the Thai government will be screwed ... and very deep in it ..

 

Hopewell is a huge Chinese society;But everyone here knows on this forum that the Chinese invest massively throughout SE Asia except Vietnam, which has been their enemy for more than two thousand years.

https://www.hopewellholdings.com/eng/hhl_corporate_profile.htm

 

To come back to our subject, I think very strongly that Prayuth is one future day or another forced to put his hand in the pocket, which will not settle the budget deficit of Thailand.

 

There will certainly be blackmail between the two countries and I fear that Thailand is not in the same category of boxers as China.

 

 

[natway09]

Getting desperate . Hopewell already have judgement but can they collect 

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

Every time I hear about the Hopewell case I think is this a Banana Republic or a 3rd world country.  ????

The Kingsgate case might further your impression.

Update on legal proceedings re Chatree gold mine, Thailand

https://isds.bilaterals.org/?update-on-legal-proceedings-re

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

“However, the result is dependent on the court’s discretion.”

I hope this is not an option for the court, especially in Thailand.

"Where the exercise of discretion goes beyond constraints set down by legislation, by binding precedent, or by a constitution, the court may be abusing its discretion and undermining the rule of law. In that case, the decision of the court may be ultra vires, and may sometimes be characterized as judicial activism." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_discretion

Pro-authoritarian, pro-nationalistic judicial activism of the Thailand judicial system is a common complaint of a judicial system structured on common law influences with judges often (so it seems) recruited during periods of strict authoritarian regimes as one might find in a pro-military government.

The Thai courts appear to have discretion to issue a ruling based on perceptions rather than evidence, such as giving priority of a decision to "national security" or reputation of the nation.

[Gandtee]

5 hours ago, Cadbury said:

The answer to that is simple. The SRT is a State run government enterprise. The government pays, just like it pays for the debts and new planes for Thai Airways

Why does it need a committee to come up with such a simple plan?

Because Thai committees are formed so as not to reach decisions but to avoid them.

And the Thai taxpayer foots the bill without a murmur. Pathetic.

[worgeordie]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

has found eight new pieces of evidence of corruption in the project that will enable the ministry to file a case in the Criminal Court.

Well they had more than enough time to find the "evidence",

Plan B 
“We are coming up with a plan as to where to get the money from and how to pay, but only in case we lose,”

better cancel a ship or other weapons of war,to pay what we owe,interest will have been mounting up on this

too no doubt,pity the Thai tax payer.

regards worgeordie