Niphon Boonyamanee acquitted in Songkhla vehicle payment case

The Court of Appeal has overturned a previous ruling to acquit Niphon Boonyamanee, the former President of the Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organization, regarding allegations of misconduct under Criminal Code Section 157.

The case, brought by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, involved the refusal to approve a payment of over 50 million baht to a contractor for two multi-purpose maintenance vehicles. The court found insufficient evidence to prove that Niphon acted with the intent to maliciously harm the private company.

The court ruled that Niphon was exercising his authority as the head of a local administrative organization to protect government interests. Given the high value of the procurement and the presence of only a single inspection document, the court determined he had a legitimate duty to order additional testing to ensure the vehicles met required specifications. Furthermore, the court noted that Niphon consulted relevant officials before ordering the tests and that delays in testing were not attributable to his actions.