EC vows justice in Thaksin case

The Election Commission (EC) said on Thursday that justice will be assured for all parties involved in petitions against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who stands accused of exerting influence over the ruling Pheu Thai Party.
EC Chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said that four complaints accusing Thaksin of manipulating Pheu Thai have been accepted and combined into one because the accusations are of a similar nature. The probe will take some time as officials are required to gather facts and statements from all parties involved, he said.
“The regulations say the accused must be allowed to hear the accusations and submit statements and evidence. So the process requires some time before it is submitted to the EC’s secretary-general for review,” Mr Ittiporn said.
The petitions were lodged by Thai Pakdee Party Chairman Warong Dechgitvigrom; Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a member of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP); Noppharut Worachitwutthikun, a former key leader of the political group Phirap Khao 2006; and an anonymous individual.
Their petitions pointed to the gathering of coalition party leaders at Thaksin’s home before the selection of a prime minister to succeed Srettha Thavisin and to the government’s policy statement to parliament, which is said to be a copy of Thaksin’s vision presented at a forum.
According to Mr Ittiporn, the petitioners have already submitted statements to the EC’s fact-finding panel, a process which is expected to take 30 days to complete.
The panel can seek a 30-day extension but then is required to submit the findings to the EC’s secretary-general, who is the registrar of political parties, for review.
The EC’s decision will depend on the report submitted by the secretary-general, he noted.
Dr Warong, who gave his statement to the fact-finding panel this week, said the gathering of coalition party leaders at Thaksin’s home to discuss Mr Srettha’s successor serves as evidence backing the allegations.
As Thaksin is not a Pheu Thai member, for a party to come under the influence of an outsider is against the Political Parties Act and punishable by having the party dissolved, according to Dr Warong.
However, he said his petition is not targeting the coalition parties as he does not believe Thaksin could exert influence over them. But Thaksin could negotiate with them, which serves as evidence of his influence over the ruling party, Dr Warong added.
He said he submitted more information to the EC to support the accusation but declined to elaborate.
He said the party’s legal team advised him not to share that information with the public, but he said that the details provided to the EC were substantial and could prove Thaksin’s unlawful influence over Pheu Thai.
Pita Limjaroenrat, ex-leader of the now-dissolved Move Forward Party, said not every offence should lead to a party’s dissolution when he was asked about the latest petitions.