Wissanu defends planned executive order targeting Yingluck
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THE government has defended its decision to issue an administrative order seeking a massive compensation from former premier Yingluck Shinawatra due to the huge loss of taxpayers money over her government's rice-pledging scheme, arguing that there is not
Deputy Premier Wissanu Krea-ngam and chief government spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the rationale behind the administrative order to seek compensation from the ex-premier was based on the rule of law.
They said the accused could fight the case in the Administrative Court, which was empowered to order the government to drop the case.
Wissanu said there were four groups of alleged wrongdoers and some of them had faced impeachment proceedings in the National Legislative Assembly and criminal lawsuits filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
In addition to former politicians, 15 companies are also facing legal action for involvement in the rice scheme.
The deputy premier said the measure to seek compensation from Yingluck was legal and was not something new since the law had been in effect for 19 years. Prosecutors and state legal entities had been using it to seek compensation for losses suffered by the public.
In fact, there have been about 5,000 compensation cases, with the government winning and losing cases, or being ordered to drop some cases.
In a post on her Facebook page, Yingluck argued that the government and Finance Ministry had issued the executive order to proceed with the case even though the criminal lawsuit in this case had not yet finished.
The NCPO also issued an order under Article 44 of the interim charter to protect government officials involved in the case from potential lawsuits from those affected.
Yingluck also said the case was the first in which a former elected premier had faced an executive order to pay compensation.
