Chart Thai's Somsak gets second 5-year political ban
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Court finds politician filed 21 false asset statements; penalty to be served concurrently with existing ban
Chart Thai Party executive Somsak Prissananthakul has been found guilty of asset concealment and handed a second political ban, but his punishment will be served concurrently with a prior ban for electoral fraud.
The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that Somsak filed 21 false asset statements while holding various offices between 1997 and 2008.
The case came to light in January last year after the National Anti-Corruption Commission ruled there was cause to suspect wrongdoing and initiated the litigation against Somsak.
According to the NACC report, Somsak covered up his wealth when he held a House of Representatives seat from Angthong, and while serving as education and agriculture minister.
The NACC found that Somsak failed to report almost Bt30 million kept in three main accounts. Somsak’s wife Rawiwan later invested Bt10 million of the undisclosed funds in the stock market, it said.
The graft investigation further found that Somsak omitted to report a Bt30-million home he owned in Angthong’s Wiset Chai Chan district.
The allegation about Somsak’s home ownership surfaced while he was serving as agriculture minister in the Samak Sundaravej government, triggering the probe of his asset statements.
The investigation into the Somsak case also brought to light two unreported luxury sedans and the ownership of a convenience store via a nominee.
The nine-member judicial panel reached a unanimous decision to penalise Somsak with a five-year ban on holding office.
The high court ordered the ban to be served concurrently with one imposed on December 2, 2008, after the Chart Thai Party was disbanded because of campaign violations and its executives, including Somsak, barred from the electoral process.
In addition to the ban, Somsak’s penalties included a six-month jail term and a fine of Bt10,000. The high court suspended the imprisonment for three years, citing his lack of a prior record as grounds for leniency.
Somsak said he respected the court’s decision yesterday. He said he would explain the case to his supporters, alleging that he had not been given the chance to present an adequate defence to the NACC.
He said his mentor, Banharn Silapa-archa, believed Somsak’s claim that he had not concealed his wealth.
The funds in question were from Chart Thai’s campaign coffers and had been entrusted to his care, he said, adding that the holding of campaign funds in individual accounts was normal practice before the enactment of the 1999 political party law.
