DSI accused of abuse of power
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The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) might have overstepped its investigative mandate in the East Water flood-donation case, Democrat MP Wiratana Kalayasiri said yesterday.
Wiratana lodged a complaint asking the Office of the Ombudsman to look into the alleged DSI impropriety. He named DSI director-general Tarit Pengdith and lead investigator Niran Adulyasak as suspects in a possible abuse-of-power case.
“I believe Tarit and Niran are acting beyond their mandate,” he said, calling for the ombudsman’s intervention.
The flood donation in question was made in 2010 via the then-ruling Democrat Party, which in turn channelled the money to a flood-relief fund supervised by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The DSI decided to launch its investigation on suspicion that the donor, a state-run enterprise, made the donation to disguise an illegal campaign contribution.
In his complaint, Wiratana said the DSI was conducting a scare campaign to coerce flood-relief donors into giving statements.
The DSI had circulated a statement branding a number of donors as violators of the electoral rules, saying they made illegal contributions to the Democrat Party, before questioning them, he said.
Under the DSI Act, special investigators have no mandate to look into campaign finance, which is under the purview of the Election Commission, he said.
In a related development, EC chairman Apichart Sukhagganond said a commission-appointed panel had initially concluded its report on campaign finances involving the Democrats. The EC had been poised to rule in the case, but on July 20 complainant Ruangkrai Leekitwattana submitted additional evidence, prompting the panel to check and rewrite its report, he said.
The EC will rule on the case as soon as the investigative report is complete, Apichart said.
He said he expected a speedy conclusion in this case, and in another in which the Democrats distributed government relief supplies without authorisation in Phitsanulok last year.
