By Thai Newsroom Reporters
IN WHAT was seen as an alleged pilferage of the taxpayer’s money, some 10 million baht in monthly pay for persons formally hired as “advisers” to senators has been allegedly siphoned off monthly via “mule accounts” to a certain political party.
An army of 138 senators, currently suspected to have been involved in electoral rigging, bloc-voting scandals over last year’s senatorial races, allegedly have had access to the 10.35 million baht in combined monthly pay worth of the taxpayer’s money for an army of 690 “advisers”, according to Akhrawat Pongthanachalitkul, a senatorial contestant currently put in reserve by the Election Commission.
Each senator is provided by law to have five “advisers” under their command, each of whom is legally entitled to 15,000 baht in monthly pay from parliament.
In total, the combined 10.35 million baht in monthly pay for the 690 “advisers” has been funneled via “mule accounts” held by unknown persons in the provinces to a partisan person monthly. Like those senators, most of their “advisers” would be allegedly more or less associated with the political party in question.
To return favours to that particular political party, the suspected senators have never used the money to which their “honourable advisers” are legally entitled any other way than to transfer it over to the so-called “mule accounts” which have then relayed it to a bank account held by the yet-unnamed partisan person, according to Akhrawat.
The 10.35 million baht taxpayers’ money at disposal of the partisan person in question would allegedly find its way to the notorious political party on a monthly basis.
The Department of Special Investigation has already obtained evidence of online monthly transfers of the money via those “mule accounts” since the last several months, he said.
That generally refers to a money-laundering shenanigan in which any criminal suspects would almost immediately transfer the incoming money from their “mule accounts” to any others at the prior orders of their superiors.
The latest accusation of sheer money-laundering plots has emerged shortly after the Pheu Thai-led government’s Special Lawsuit Committee had resolved to have the DSI handle the senatorial rigging scandals as a special case in which in-depth investigation is being carried out to find and punish any of the 138 suspected senators who have invariably performed at parliament in support of the Bhumjaithai, the second largest coalition partner under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob.
The DSI is a government agency under direct control of Justice Minister Thavi Sodsong, viewed as a quietly staunch supporter of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s father/de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra.
Out of a total of 200 senators, elected from among fellow contestants in last year’s unprecedented, complicated, triple-tiered elections, 138 have been suspected by the DSI of alleged involvement in the electoral fraud organised by unnamed persons clandestinely associated with the Bhumjaithai.
If found guilty as charged, a sum of 113,560 baht in monthly salary and entitlement pay for each of the suspected senators in addition to all their personal and matrimonial assets could possibly be seized and withheld in retroactive fashion at an order of court, pending a court ruling on the crimes in which they may have perpetrated and their senatorial status could possibly finally be terminated by court.
CAPTION:
Mr. Akhrawat Pongthanachalitkul, a senatorial contestant placed in reserve by the Election Commission. Top photo: Naewna, Front Page photo: PPTVHD36
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