Thailand Court Set to Rule in NBTC Sacking Row

Acting Secretary-General's legal challenge against board members over dismissal and World Cup funds heads for verdict

 

A Thai criminal court is scheduled to deliver its judgment on Tuesday, April 8th, in a significant legal battle brought by the acting head of the national broadcasting regulator against four of its board members and another senior figure. 

 

The case centres on the controversial dismissal of Trairat Wiriyasirikul, the deputy secretary-general and acting secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), and a contentious 600 million baht budget for broadcasting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

 

Trairat has accused the five defendants of acting improperly in their official duties, citing sections of the Thai Criminal Code and the anti-corruption legislation. 

 

The defendants include NBTC Commissioners Air Marshal Dr Thanapant Raicharoen, Prof Dr Pirongrong Ramasoota, Assoc Prof Dr Supachai Supachalasai, Assoc Prof Somphob Phurivikraipong, and NBTC deputy secretary-general Assist Prof Dr Phumsith Mahaweesiri.
  

The dispute originated from a confidential NBTC order issued in January 2023, which established a sub-committee to scrutinise the allocation of 600 million baht from the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund to secure broadcast rights for the World Cup. 

 

The nomination of this sub-committee's members by the first three defendants raised concerns about potential legal breaches and violations of NBTC resolutions, as well as recommendations from the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).

 

In April 2023, the sub-committee produced a confidential report suggesting that the NBTC Office's handling of the matter might have contravened the law. Four members supported this conclusion, while two abstained. Trairat dismissed the report as lacking legal substance.

 

Subsequently, at an NBTC meeting in June 2023, the report was discussed, and a resolution was passed to acknowledge its findings and consider whether Trairat's actions had broken the law.

  

A vote then led to the establishment of a disciplinary inquiry committee and Trairat's removal from his acting secretary-general position pending the inquiry's outcome.

 

Trairat argues that his dismissal contravened NBTC regulations, which he claims prevent individual commissioners from unilaterally forming a disciplinary inquiry committee.

 

He also asserts that his removal facilitated the appointment of the fifth defendant to his former role. Furthermore, he contends that the widely publicised dismissal has severely damaged his reputation and career prospects.

 

Notably, this case is attracting considerable public attention as the same panel of judges recently convicted Prof Dr Pirongrong Ramasoota, one of the defendants in this case, in a separate lawsuit filed by True Digital Group. She received a two-year jail sentence without suspension in that case.

 

Additionally, one of the judges on the current panel previously presided over a case where an activist sued NBTC commissioners over their approval of the True-DTAC merger, a case that was ultimately dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

 

Therefore, the verdict in Trairat's case on April 8th is keenly anticipated by the media and the public, who will be watching to see its implications for the oversight of independent regulatory bodies in Thailand.

(2025/04/07-00:00)