PPRP’s Samart quits party after embarrassed by audio clips

Palang Pracharath Party deputy spokesman Samart Janechaijitwanit, who is known to be an aide of the party leader, has quit the party after he was exposed by an audio clip allegedly trying to extort a monthly protection fee from the owner of The iCon Group.

Both PPRP leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwan and party secretary general Paibul Nititawan confirmed on Tuesday that Samart resigned on his own.

The PPRP was scheduled to convene a meeting to consider expulsion of Samart but it was informed by the Election Commission Office that Samart had resigned, so the party needed not vote to expel him, a party source said.

Speaking to reporters after a party meeting, Prawit said Samart resigned last week and the notice from the EC Office was sent to the party on Tuesday.

Paibul told reporters that Samart quit as a PPRP member on October 25 without informing the party.

Earlier, an audio clip in which a person who sounded like Samart was heard demanding that iCon Group chief executive officer Warathaphon Waratyaworrakul pay him more than 100,000 baht a month in exchange for his manoeuvring to keep the company from being summoned by House of Representatives committees to be questioned about suspicious business deals.

Samart earlier denied it was his voice and said it was generated by AI (artificial intelligence) software. But before his arrest, Warathaphon affirmed that the clip was recorded by himself when Samart called to demand money. Warathaphon claimed he did not pay as demanded.
Warathaphon was among 18 executives of The iCon Group arrested for alleged public deception.

Police have obtained Warathaphon’s smartphone, which he said had a lot of audio clips recorded when politicians and serial petitioners demanded money from him. Police have also threatened to take action against the alleged extortionists.