The Administrative Court has sentenced an anti-corruption activist to 14 months imprisonment for contempt of court, but the jail term is suspended for three years.
On 21 August 2017, the Supreme Administrative Court sentenced Srisuwan Janya, Secretary-General of a political group called the Association to Protect the Thai Constitution (APTC), to 14 months in prison and a fine of 700,000 baht.
The court gave him a one-month jail term for each of 14 contempt of court charges where he was accused of using sarcastic words with the intention of discrediting the Central Administrative Court in petitions he submitted to the Supreme Administrative Court.
He submitted the petitions to appeal the ruling of the Central Administrative Court to dismiss 14 lawsuits he filed against the Airports of Thailand PLC. He was representing residents around Suvarnabhumi Airport who are affected by noise pollution.
The court, however, suspended the jail term for three years because he had never committed any crime before.
Srisuwan was detained briefly before being released once the 700,000 baht fine was paid to the court.
“I accept the court order...I think good and do good and take on cases for villagers without hoping for anything in return,” Srisuwan wrote on his Facebook account.
Srisuwan (second from the right) submitting a letter to the Office of the Ombudsman on 8 May 2017 (file photo)
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