By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A SINGLE CASE of duty-negligence charges which could probably be filed in court against the election commissioners pertaining to the 2024 senatorial rigging allegations would be simply enough to throw them in jail, former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said today (Aug.15).
During a seminar held at a hotel in Ayutthaya on the alleged vote-buying, electoral-rigging conspiracy over the scandalous senatorial races, the former commissioner pointed out that the People’s-led opposition bloc only needs a single lawsuit substantiated by pieces of truthful evidence to file to the Supreme Court against all seven of his current successors on charges of evidently neglecting their lawful duties and failing to bring any wrongdoing suspect to justice in regard to the electoral rigging scandals.
If found guilty as charged by court, the seven commissioners four of whom had been picked by an overwhelming majority of the current senators could possibly be sentenced to terms in prison, according to their predecessor who has been considerably critical of his successors’ performances which he deemed not very prompt or impartial.
Somchai was responding to speculation that the election commissioners would likely choose to lodge electoral rigging lawsuits against some and not all the 229 suspects who had been initially found more or less involved by a previous investigating subcommittee of the polling agency, thus keeping others intact, albeit in highly questionable fashion.
The polling agency is largely speculated to unveil to the public at the end of this month whether any of those suspects will be formally accused in the Supreme Court on account of senatorial rigging allegations amidst sustained fears among government critics that only “small fish” would probably be sacrificed and the commissioners would probably afford to risk getting themselves thrown in jail on duty-negligence charges.
The Bhumjaithai, core of the current coalition government under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, have been suspected of covert, clandestine involvement in the senatorial rigging shenanigans with several prominent partisan members having been publicly accused by iLaw activist Yingcheep Atchanont, ranging from Prime Minister/Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Deputy Prime Minister Songsak Thongsri, Prime Minister’s Office Ministers Paradorn Prisnanuntakul, Napinthorn Srisanpang and Suksamruay Wantaneeyakul, chief government whip Koravee Prisnanuntakul and former deputy House speaker Supachai Bhosu, among others, in addition to as many as 138 out of the total 200 senators whom they had allegedly manipulated to “win” the unprecedented, triple-tiered races to parliament two years ago.
The People’s-led opposition lawmakers reconfirmed during today’s seminar that they have dug into allegedly illicit behaviours, questioned personal witnesses and gathered pieces of material evidence pertaining to the scandals of premeditated, vote-buying, electoral rigging conspiracy allegedly covertly involving persons personally associated with the Bhumjaithai, the largest ruling party whom the election commissioners were more or less inclined to keep intact from any relevant lawsuits.
People’s MP/chief opposition whip Parit Wacharasindhu suspected that the polling agency could probably have been aware of the alleged electoral rigging and irregularities perpetrated by those partisan masterminds and others but simply have chosen to turn blind eye and deaf ear.
If found guilty as charged in court, Newin’s camp could possibly be dissolved with all their executive partisan members being sentenced to jail terms or banned from all levels of political activity for a number of years.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn. Photos – PPTVHD36
Insert: People’s MP Parit Wacharasindhu. – Amarin TV
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