Bhum Jai Thai MP Boonjong suspended
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Bhum Jai Thai MP Boonjong Wongtrairat has been suspended from Parliament pending a judicial review into his involvement in alleged electoral fraud, Deputy House Speaker Charoen Chankomol said yesterday.
The suspension of Boonjong's MP status follows a ruling on Wednesday by the Supreme Court's Election Cases Division that it would review Boonjong's case. As a result, the House of Representatives now has 499 MPs.
The Election Commission had asked the court to disqualify Boonjong over alleged campaign violations in the December 12, 2010, by-election in Nakhon Ratchasima. He was accused of organising a trip for local officials from his Nakhon Ratchasima constituency to a Rayong seaside resort, an activity the EC said could be construed as vote-buying.
Under the election law, the EC ruling is subject to mandatory judicial review.
Should the high court endorse his disqualification, his party could face dissolution. Laws governing political parties prescribe disbandment in the event of a campaign fraud conviction involving an executive.
