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The Thai Appeals Court upheld a lower court sentence of an eight-month suspended prison term and a 66,666 baht fine today (Tuesday), imposed on former Palang Pracharath MP for Ratchaburi province, Pareena Kraikupt, in a defamation case filed against her by former Future Forward MP Pannika Wanich.
The lawsuit was filed for Pareena’s Facebook post on August 4th, 2019, accusing Pannika and then leader of the Future Forward party, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, of involvement in several bombing incidents in Bangkok and the three southernmost provinces.
Pareena denied that she had made false allegations and fought the case in court.
After the Appeal Court decision, upholding her conviction and sentence, Pareena told the media that she will let her lawyer decide whether to appeal to the Supreme Court.
In April this year, in a separate case, Pareena was stripped of her parliamentary status, given a life-time ban from running for political office and had her political and election rights suspended for 10 years by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders, which found her guilty of severe ethical misconduct for encroaching on 113.76 hectares of land in Ratchaburi province.
While serving as an MP, Pareena was an avid supporter of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and often spoke in his defence.