Court accepts defamation case against Rangsiman

The Criminal Court has accepted a criminal defamation case against People's Party party-list MP Rangsiman Rome, ruling that his remarks accusing a foreign businessman of involvement in a scam and call-centre network were defamatory and unsupported by evidence.

- WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM

The judge ordered the indictment yesterday in a case filed by Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as "Ben Smith", along with a civil lawsuit seeking 100 million baht in damages.

The case arises from comments made by Mr Rangsiman during a parliamentary debate on Sept 30, in which he alleged that Mr Mauerberger was linked to a scam gang and call-centre operations, causing damage to the plaintiff's reputation. The court held a preliminary examination on Nov 24 before issuing its decision.