Shin Deal Pinthongta’s refusal to testify
Bangkok Post (11 October 2007)
Thaksin's lawyer threatens to sue ASC. Noppadon Pattama, lawyer of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has threatened to sue the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) if it files criminal charges against Pinthongta, Mr Thaksin's eldest daughter, for refusing to testify against her parents. The ASC plans to file legal charges against Miss Pinthongta next Monday after she postponed her testimony three times and again insisted on her right to say nothing on Tuesday when she met the ASC sub-panel investigating alleged irregularities in the Shin Corp share sale to Singapore's Temasek Holdings early last year. She says she does not want to give any evidence which could be detrimental to her parents. ''We did not defy the ASC's summons and we have said that we don't want to give a statement,'' said Mr Noppadon, who is also deputy leader of the People Power party. Miss Pinthongta, who arrived from England to meet ASC members earlier this week, is among those from the Shinawatra and Damapong families who benefited from the profits from the 73-billion-baht sale of Shin Corp to Temasek. She is believed to have made 29.6 billion baht from the deal. However, her assets were later frozen by the ASC.
On Tuesday Miss Pinthongta sent a letter to the ASC, saying she would not give any statement deemed detrimental to her parents, Mr Thaksin and Khunying Potjaman, as it would be ungrateful of her as a daughter to do so. She insisted she had the constitutional right not to give testimony. Her legal team said her reasons were justifiable and Miss Pinthongta had been cooperative with the ASC on other issues. Mr Noppadol said the panel had kept calling Miss Pinthongta to testify without listening to her reasons for not wanting to do so. ''So she now feels she should no longer lend her cooperation [to the ASC],'' the lawyer said. ASC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said his sub-panel found her reasons unacceptable because she could give a statement without losing any of her rights.
Bangkok Post (11 October 2007)
Thaksin's lawyer threatens to sue ASC. Noppadon Pattama, lawyer of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has threatened to sue the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) if it files criminal charges against Pinthongta, Mr Thaksin's eldest daughter, for refusing to testify against her parents. The ASC plans to file legal charges against Miss Pinthongta next Monday after she postponed her testimony three times and again insisted on her right to say nothing on Tuesday when she met the ASC sub-panel investigating alleged irregularities in the Shin Corp share sale to Singapore's Temasek Holdings early last year. She says she does not want to give any evidence which could be detrimental to her parents. ''We did not defy the ASC's summons and we have said that we don't want to give a statement,'' said Mr Noppadon, who is also deputy leader of the People Power party. Miss Pinthongta, who arrived from England to meet ASC members earlier this week, is among those from the Shinawatra and Damapong families who benefited from the profits from the 73-billion-baht sale of Shin Corp to Temasek. She is believed to have made 29.6 billion baht from the deal. However, her assets were later frozen by the ASC.
On Tuesday Miss Pinthongta sent a letter to the ASC, saying she would not give any statement deemed detrimental to her parents, Mr Thaksin and Khunying Potjaman, as it would be ungrateful of her as a daughter to do so. She insisted she had the constitutional right not to give testimony. Her legal team said her reasons were justifiable and Miss Pinthongta had been cooperative with the ASC on other issues. Mr Noppadol said the panel had kept calling Miss Pinthongta to testify without listening to her reasons for not wanting to do so. ''So she now feels she should no longer lend her cooperation [to the ASC],'' the lawyer said. ASC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said his sub-panel found her reasons unacceptable because she could give a statement without losing any of her rights.
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