The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has accused Surapong, a key Pheu Thai Party politician, of malfeasance and dereliction of duty under the Penal Code for reissuing two passports to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin’s passports had been revoked in 2009 by the Democrat-led government of Abhisit Vejjajiva on the grounds that the former PM was deemed to be damaging the country while living in exile abroad.

The agency then implicated him for a criminal offence as well as impeachment, kicking off the parliamentary process.

Pornpetch said after the case was officially opened in Parliament on Friday that the NLA followed normal procedures after officially receiving the case from the NACC.

If it did not proceed with the case, the body itself would violate the constitution, he said, rejecting the notion that the NLA acted hastily because of Surapong’s association with Thaksin.