Bangkok: The Court of Appeal has confirmed the prison sentence for Mr. Sira Jenjaka in the defamation case brought against him by Police General Sereepisuth Temiyawes. The Criminal Court delivered the verdict, which sentences Mr. Sira to eight months in prison without suspension.

According to Thai News Agency, the verdict was read at 10:00 a.m. in Courtroom 801 of the Criminal Court, where the Court of Appeal upheld the earlier decision. The case originated when Pol. Gen. Sereepisuth, a party-list MP for the Seri Ruam Thai Party, authorized Pol. Lt. Gen. Jutdi Thammanovanich to sue Mr. Sira, a former Bangkok MP for the Palang Pracharath Party, for defamation. The allegations centered on Mr. Sira’s claims that Pol. Gen. Sereepisuth’s pier construction was encroaching on the Chao Phraya River, damaging his reputation.

On September 12, 2013, the Court of First Instance found Mr. Sira guilty under Sections 326 and 328 of the Criminal Code, sentencing him to one year in prison under Section 328. However, due to the defendant’s evidence being partially helpful, the sentence was reduced by one-third under Section 98, resulting in an eight-month prison term without suspension. The verdict was delivered via video conference from the Bangkok Remand Prison.

The Court of Appeal concluded that the defendant’s interview with the plaintiff contained statements that led listeners to believe the plaintiff had committed an offense, thereby damaging the plaintiff’s reputation and meeting the criteria for defamation. The Court found Mr. Sira’s defense lacking in substance, insufficient to counter the plaintiff’s witnesses, and therefore upheld the original eight-month prison sentence without suspension.