This morning, Thursday 22 September 2011, the Criminal Court of Bangkok read the verdict in the case Thailand vs. Mr. Kim Eriksson Sirawan. The judge sentenced Mr. Eriksson Sirawan to death penalty for production and procession of methamphetamine, “ice”.
The sentence was then reduced to life imprisonment due the fact that Mr. Eriksson Sirawan had been cooperative through the case and has not denied the existence of equipment suitable for chemical production in his home in Rayong.
The court meeting was scheduled to begin at 9 o´clock this morning but Mr. Eriksson Sirawan had to wait until 9:45 before the judge entered the court room. The judge took his seat and prepared the reading of the verdict for several minutes. The only sound in the room came from the judge’s handling the documents and from the air-conditioner. Mr. Eriksson Sirawan and the waiting crowd of reporters, friends and Swedish officials were totally quiet.
The judge read the verdict and Mr. Eriksson Sirawan received it standing up with his interpreter at his side. Mr. Eriksson was clearly affected by the verdict and he left the courtroom without any comments.
Mr. Eriksson Sirawan´s defense lawyer, Mr. Chakrit Parameedireklap told ScandAsia that he was disappointed by the verdict and that verdict will be appealed.
“We did our best to convince the court about the role of Mr. Thomas Lilius. If the court had looked deeply into the statements from the witnesses we have presented, it is quite clear that Mr. Lilius exists and plays a role in this case,” Mr. Chakrit Parameedireklap says.
The verdict today is a draft and tells about the main issues in the final verdict. The final and written verdict will be available in a couple of weeks.
“We will ask the appeal court to look into the role of Mr. Lilius, as he is the one who had set Kim up,” Mr. Chakrit Parameedireklap says.
The time frame for an appeal court decision is around 2 to 4 years, but according to the defense lawyer, a case involving a foreign citizen can be speds up a bit, but it will still take at least one and a half year for the appeal court to come to a result.
Previous articles in this case:
The Missing Key Witness
The Case against Mr. Eriksson Sirawan Came to an End
Trial Begins Against Kim Roger Eriksson Sirawan
Swede Arrested in Rayong for Drug Producing
