Royal clemency commutes Banyin’s death sentences to life term

Former deputy commerce minister Banyin Tangpakorn who has been sentenced to death in two high-profile murder cases has received a royal clemency, reducing his penalties to life imprisonment, the Corrections Department chief said on Sunday.

Sahakarn Phetnarin, director-general of the Corrections Department, said Banyin was among 30,597 prisoners, who were eligible for a royal clemency on the occasion of His Majesty the King’s 72nd birthday on July 28.

Sahakarn said the inmates eligible for royal clemency would be given royal pardon differently, depending on their jail terms and types of crimes. Some would get their terms reduced, some would be released on parole and others would be freed.

Sahakarn said the eligible inmates must have served one-third of their term or been imprisoned for at least eight years.

The eligible clemency receivers included 11,271 people who had been detained for failing to pay their fines and this was the biggest group receiving clemency, Sahakarn said.

He said his department would set up a committee to recheck the list of eligible prisoners and those who will be released, and they will have to wait for a formal court order for their release.

Sahakarn added that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been paroled since February and who will complete his term at the end of this month, will also have to wait for a court order to formally announce the end of his jail term.

Sahakarn said several high-profile prisoners, including Banyin and Tarit Pengdit, the former director-general of the Department for Special Investigation, also received royal clemency.

He said Tarit would have his term reduced but the corrections chief did not elaborate.

Banyin, who has been sentenced to death for murdering a businessman and a judge’s brother, has his penalty reduced to life imprisonment, Sahakarn added.

He said three former Bhumjaithai MPs, who were sentenced to nine months in jail in June for cheating a vote during a House meeting, were not eligible for royal clemency as they had not served one-third of their terms yet.