Thailand mulls death for corrupt officials

BANGKOK: Corrupt public officials in Thailand could face the death penalty if a proposal by the country's National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) is adopted.
Under the proposal, which will be tabled tomorrow, public officials who commit graft and cause more than 1 billion baht (RM125.1 million) loss to the country could be sentenced to death.
The recommendation was made by NRSA's political reform steering committee, as part of NRSA's report on the regulation and scrutiny on government power.
The committee suggested that inspections on public officials should be carried out in the same manner as that used on politicians.
Apart from the proposed death sentence on public officials, it also recommended imprisonment of five years for those who cause losses of one million baht, and a jail term of between 10 and 20 years for causing losses of between 10 million and 100 million baht.
A life sentence has been proposed for public officials convicted of corruption cases that incur a loss of between 100 million and one billion baht.
Once adopted by the NRSA, the proposal will be submitted to the Cabinet, the National Legislative Assembly and the Constitution Drafting Committee for further deliberations.
The move to impose the death penalty on corrupt public officials followed a recent proposal for a similar sentence on corrupt politicians for "selling and buying" political positions.
The draft of the proposal by the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) had received strong opposition from the political parties.
CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan was quoted as saying the death penalty was aimed at deterring corrupt people from getting involved in politics. – Bernama