Pirongrong released on bail, retains NBTC commissioner post

The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on Thursday released convicted commissioner Pirongrong Ramasoota on bail, thus preventing her from losing her post on the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.

The court granted her temporary release while she appeals against the conviction, after she posted an asset worth 120,000 baht as a guarantee.

She has been prohibited from leaving the kingdom without court approval.

Earlier on Thursday, the court found Pirongrong guilty of abusing her authority to harass TrueID, an Internet TV platform operated by True Digital Group, a subsidiary of True Corporation.

The court ruled that Pirongrong had intentionally harassed the TrueID platform operator by instructing the NBTC Office to expedite the issuance of a warning letter to IPTV operators, stating that they were not allowed to insert advertisements into streamed TV content from terrestrial television channels.

 

The court found that the plaintiff's testimonies were substantiated and that Pirongrong had been heard saying that the warning would serve as a sudden attack capable of toppling a telecom giant. The court stated that this wording demonstrated her intent to harass TrueID, which is an over-the-top (OTT) service not regulated by the NBTC.

The court sentenced her to two years' imprisonment. Had Pirongrong been sent straight to jail pending an appeal, she would have lost her status as an NBTC commissioner.