Bangkok: “Jirat” insists he never forged the military service exemption certificate (Form 43) and believes he is being framed. Former MP Jiratth is confident in the evidence, insisting he never forged his military service exemption certificate (Form 43) and believes he is being politically persecuted.
According to Thai News Agency, the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road scheduled a hearing for the verdict in the case of forging a military service exemption certificate (Form 43). The public prosecutor’s office, Criminal Division 5, filed charges against Mr. Jiratth or Nawarin Thongsuwan, a former MP for Chachoengsao from the People’s Party, for the offenses of forging and using forged official documents and entering false information into a computer system.
After Mr. Jirat displayed a fake military service exemption certificate, or “Form S.D. 43,” and disseminated it on social media, he was charged with “forging and using forged official documents and entering false information into a computer system.” The defendant pleaded not guilty and was granted bail.
When the time came, Mr. Jiratth, the defendant, briefly stated before entering the hall to hear the verdict that he was confident in the evidence used to fight the case. He maintained that he did not forge the S.D.43 document because the prosecutor had previously been unable to explain how it could have been forged, as the document contained both a signature and a seal, making it difficult to counterfeit.
Personally, Mr. Jiratth believes this case is a form of political persecution. During the trial, the prosecution included military officers ranging in rank from Lieutenant Colonel to Lieutenant General, even though such high-ranking officials were unnecessarily involved. Furthermore, he noticed that his personal records are stored differently from others; normally, they are destroyed after 10 years.
Meanwhile, Thanakwin Ratwattakungkun, a businessman and academic, filed an objection to the bail application pending appeal, arguing that the defendant did not cooperate with investigators and was immediately suspended from his duties as a Member of Parliament since the incident occurred.
In this case, the defendant, Mr. Jirat, displayed a forged military service exemption certificate (Form 43) and disseminated it on social media. This incident arose from suspicions that Mr. Jirat may have obtained the exemption certificate illegally, leading to a complaint being filed with the Royal Thai Army for investigation. Subsequently, Lieutenant General Thaweepool Rimsakorn, then Commander of the Territorial Defense Command, assigned a military legal officer to file charges against Mr. Jirat at Prachachuen Police Station for forgery and using forged official documents. The defendant pleaded not guilty and was released on bail.