Election commissioners warned of jail for failure to file senatorial rigging case in court

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

THE ELECTION COMMISSIONERS could possibly be thrown in jail if they eventually failed to file a lawsuit pertaining to an alleged senatorial rigging conspiracy in court, prominent academics cautioned today (Aug.4).

During a special seminar at parliament held by chief opposition whip Parit Wacharasindhu on 2024’s electoral fraud allegedly involving a total of 229 persons ranging from Bhumjaithai leader/Prime Minister Anutin Charnviraku and several of his partisan colleagues-turned-members of cabinet to as many as 138 out of the total 200 senators, Thammasat University law lecturer Munin Pongsapan concluded that the election commissioners be legally obliged to forward the alleged vote-buying, electoral rigging conspiracy over the complicated, triple-tiered senatorial races to the Supreme Court, given many pieces of evidence and a large number of personal witnesses who have been earlier interrogated by a subcommittee of the polling agency and the Department of Special Investigation.

Those commissioners four of whom were named by a majority of pro-Bhumjaithai senators are legally bound to forward vote-buying, electoral rigging cases to Supreme Court or else they could possibly be found guilty of neglecting their lawful duties and perpetrating misconduct in office, thus being sentenced to terms in prison, according to the Thammasat academic.

Munin pointed out that the commissioners ultimately have no legal authority to pass judgment of their own over such electoral fraud charges and are legally obliged to forward them over to court.

Sukhothai Thammathirat University political scientist Thirapat Serirangsan warned that the commissioners of the “independent” agency be legally obliged to forward such historic cases to the Supreme Court judges in charge of lawsuits relating to elections otherwise they could possibly be sent to jail for failure to bring to justice all those suspects including the prime minister who concurrently acts as leader of the Bhumjaithai, core of the current coalition government, and several cabinet members attached to the largest ruling camp, among others.

Those suspects have been allegedly involved one way or another in the premeditated, organised electoral rigging, the clandestine handouts of bloc-vote scripts and payoff cash as well as the arrangement of hotel accommodations and venues for the meetings of their recruited contestants who picked prospective senators from among themselves at district, provincial and national levels.

In particular, Anutin has been evidently accused of mingling with those winning candidates at Pullman Bangkok King Power hotel to pick a Senate speaker and a couple of deputy Senate speakers.

The prime minister has earlier admitted having visited the Bangkok hotel privately and “on a daily basis” but categorically dismissed allegations of his involvement alongside other partisan colleagues in the senatorial rigging scandals.

Nevertheless, the commissioners have been largely speculated to decide against filing a lawsuit pertaining to the senatorial rigging conspiracy in the Supreme Court at the risk of themselves being charged with a duty-negligence and misconduct case whilst only “small fish” among the 229 suspects might probably be sacrificed to keep intact those highly-placed politicians in government.

According to Yingcheep Atchanont, project manager of iLaw activist group, the other Bhumjaithai cabinet members suspected in the senatorial fraud shenanigans include Deputy Prime Minister Songsak Thongsri, Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Prime Minister’s Office Ministers Paradorn Prisnanuntakul, Napinthorn Srisanpang and Suksamruay Wantaneeyakul, plus chief government whip Koravee Prisnanuntakul and former deputy House speaker Supachai Bhosu.

The prime minister-cum-interior minister has earlier threatened to lodge a libel lawsuit against the iLaw activist and People’s-led opposition lawmakers for publicly accusing him of involvement in the alleged senatorial rigging fraud whilst others were reportedly following suit with criminal courts in the provinces.

CAPTION:

Top and Front Page: Pixelated image of senatorial election in 2024. Photo – PPTVHD36

First insert: Chief opposition whip Parit Wacharasindhu. Photo – Naewna

Second insert: Thammasat University law lecturer Munin Pongsapan. Photo – Facebook

Third insert: Sukhothai Thammathirat University political scientist Thirapat Serirangsan. Photo – Facebook

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