Another Monson suit thrown out
BHANRAVEE TANSUBHAPOLThe Criminal Court yesterday dismissed another perjury charge brought by a US businessman against caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired.
A South Bangkok Criminal Court judge said although the plaintiff had submitted the lawsuit against Mr Thaksin on June 29, 1995 and requested the court to speed up the testimony three days later, the plaintiff had failed to bring the five defendants to court.
``If the offender does not file the lawsuit against the defendants or bring the defendants to court, the case will face the statute of limitations. For this case, the statute of limitations has a time-frame of ten years. The plaintiff could not bring the defendants to court by April 1999,'' the judge said in the verdict.
William L. Monson, owner of the Seattle-based Clearview Cable TV company and the manager of CTVC of Hawaii, filed the lawsuit against Mr Thaksin, his wife Khunying Potjaman, the International Broadcasting Cooperation Company (IBC) and Duang-ruthai Settabutr.
They were accused of telling lies, committing perjury and giving false testimony in court during trials in 1989, on April 24, Aug 3, Sept 8 and 14, Oct 17 and 30 and Nov 19.
Prameth Sutabutr, Mr Monson's lawyer, asked the court to amend some contents but the defendants' lawyers opposed some of the requests and urged the court to consider the statute of limitations.
Despite the verdict, Mr Monson said he would not stop fighting and would go on appealing the case. He said he was confident of the truth and that his evidence was solid.
He also called on Mr Thaksin to face the truth.
Mr Thaksin accused him of embezzlement and breach of contract. Mr Monson claimed Mr Thaksin lied in the civil court by calling him an employee and by alleging his firm had stolen equipment in an unfair business deal.
Mr Monson was a partner of Mr Thaksin in the 1980s when Mr Thaksin ran IBC and they co-invested in cable television.
Mr Prameth, Mr Monson's lawyer, said he would appeal since the judges should have read the verdict before the defendants as in the case of Kamnan Poh. He also urged the court to consider the case cautiously and thoroughly.
The Civil Court last week dismissed a perjury suit against Mr Thaksin. On Nov 13, the Civil Court is due to hold a hearing in a perjury suit Mr Monson filed against Mr Thaksin last week.
