Court sentences Sondhi to 2 years in jail

       The Criminal Court has sentenced Sondhi Limthongkul to two years in prison without probation for defaming former deputy prime minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula.
       Mr Sondhi, a key leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, was yesterday found guilty of libel in connection with remarks he made about MR Pridiyathorn during his Muang Thai Rai Sapda (Thailand Weekly) talk show, which aired on ATSV on Jan 12,2007.
       Mr Sondhi was released yesterday on bail of 200,000 baht. He said he would appeal his conviction.
       Named as co-defendants were Thaiday Dot Com Co, the producer of the talk show and operator of ASTV, the Manager Media Group and Khunthong Lorseriwanich, editor and publisher of the Manager newspaper.MR Pridiyathorn said Mr Sondhi accused him of approving the illegal sale of two- and three-digit lottery tickets and amending the law on the Government Lottery Office to clear 47 people,including former ministers and GLO executives, criticised by the former Assets Scrutiny Committee over the launch of the lottery in 2003.
       MR Pridiyathorn, who was also finance minister at the time, said Mr Sondhi also accused him of protecting former revenue department chief Sirote Sawasdipanich from prosecution over his alleged failure to collect 270 million baht in taxes in the 1997 Shin Corp share case.
       Mr Sirote was acquitted by the courts of the charge.
       The Criminal Court found Mr Sondhi's claims were groundless and could lead people to misunderstand MR Pridiyathorn. The court also found Thaiday Dot Com libelled MR Pridiyathorn by recording and disseminating the claims on VCD. It was fined 200,000 baht. Mr Khunthong also libelled MR Pridiyathorn,the court said, by publishing the remarks in the Jan 13 to Jan 16,2007, editions of the Manager . The court sentenced him to one year in jail, suspended for two years, as he was a first-time offender.He was also fined 30,000 baht.
       Mr Sondhi, Mr Khunthong and Thaiday Dot Com have been ordered to publish apologies to MR Pridiyathorn in newspapers for five consecutive days.The court acquitted Manager Media Group of the charge as there was no evidence implicating its executives.