The Criminal Court has decided to postpone the reading of the Supreme Court’s verdict, scheduled at 9am this morning (Monday), of a case in which former director-general of the Department of Special Investigation Department (DSI), Tarit Pengdit, and three DSI officials, were charged with malfeasance in judicial office.
The Criminal Court’s decision came after Tarit submitted a motion seeking a ruling from the Constitutional Court on the constitutionality of Sections 157 and 200 of the Criminal Code, charges related to which were filed against him and the three other DSI officials for their prosecutions of former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban for ordering a violent crackdown on red-shirt protesters in Bangkok in 2010.
Tarit also asked to withdraw his guilty plea, which he recently submitted to the Criminal Court ahead of the reading of the Supreme Court’s verdict. He had initially pleaded not guilty and fought the case from the very beginning.
The Criminal Court submitted Tarit’s motion and his volte-face on his plea to the Supreme Court for consideration before the reading of the Supreme Court’s verdict.
The Supreme Court has scheduled the announcement of its decision on Tarit’s motion at 2.30pm today.
Tarit and the three DSI officials were acquitted by the Criminal Court, but were found guilty and sentenced to two years each, without suspension, by the Appeals Court.
Tarit’s last-minute move is again intended to delay the reading of the Supreme Court’s verdict, after he has already successfully convinced the Criminal Court to postpone the reading ten times, claiming sickness, until the court decided to put an end to the repeated postponements and scheduled the reading of the verdict this morning.
