THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

EC to file a criminal charge against Thanathorn

EC to file a criminal charge against Thanathorn

The Election Commission (EC) has resolved to press a criminal charge against Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, former leader of the dissolved Future Forward Party (FWP), at Thungsonghong Police Station for applying to become a member of Parliament in the March 2019 election while holding shares in a media company.

The decision was made at a meeting of the EC board, a source revealed on Tuesday (March 10).
The EC had stated earlier that Thanathorn’s shareholding in V-Luck media violated Section 151 of the election law, which stipulates that a person who was knowingly not qualified shall be fined Bt20,000 to Bt200,000 or face one to 10 years of imprisonment if he applied to become a member of Parliament. If found guilty, Thanathorn will also have his right to vote revoked for 20 years.
The Constitutional Court ruled on November 20, 2019 to terminate Thanathorn’s membership of the House of Representatives due to his shareholding in the media business, V-Luck Media.
The source also revealed that the motion to file a criminal case against Thanathorn had been presented to the EC board at least three times since the court’s verdict. However, the board did not approve the filing until now. It has ordered its officials to find more evidence to support the case since a criminal case can be appealed in three different courts.
Thanathorn is not the first March 2019 election candidate against whom the EC has pressed charges. Earlier, the EC had filed cases against candidates who had applied to become members of Parliament after having been a member of a political party for less than 90 days before the election date, in violation of the election law.

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