Ex-Thai commerce minister faces corruption charges

BANGKOK, March 17 (TNA) - Public prosecutors have filed charges against former Thai commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom for alleged corrupt government-to-government (G-to-G) rice deals. Representatives of the Attorney General Office (AGO) brought over 200 boxes containing about 67,000 pages of the written charges to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions on Tuesday to prosecute Boonsong and 20 others for alleged corruption in past government-to-government rice deals, while Chutichai Sakhakorn, AGO's Director-General for Special Litigation, and Surasak Trirattrakul, AGO's Director-General for Interrogation, submitted the written charges. There are three groups of defendants, with the first one involving three politicians, including the former commerce minister, former deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol and former secretary to the commerce minister Weerawut Wajanaphukka. The second group consists of three government officials and the third group comprises 15 private business operators. The accused are charges with malfeasance and collusion. (TNA)