They were previously indicted for malfeasance after being held responsible for the fatal police crackdown on yellow-shirt protesters in 2008. The four defendants in the case are former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, his then deputy Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, former national police chief General Patcharawat Wongsuwan, and former Metropolitan Police commander Lt-General Suchart Muenkaew. Each of the nine judges has already given their own verdict but they need a meeting to finalise the verdict, a Supreme Court official said. Somchai, who is the brother-in-law of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, was the country’s 26th prime minister, serving briefly between September and December 2008. It took more than six years before a case could be filed with the court.

Source: The Nation Bangkok August 02, 2017 03:36 UTC