Media-share complaint against Pita remains in limbo: EC
The Election Commission (EC) has not yet decided whether it will accept a complaint against Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat that says he is ineligible to be an MP because he allegedly owns shares in a media company, its chairman said on Wednesday.
The EC has not even decided that it will consider the complaint, let alone decided that the allegation has sufficient grounds to appoint a subcommittee to investigate it, Ittiporn Boonprakong added.
He was referring to a complaint filed by political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana on May 9. It alleges that Pita was not qualified to contest the election because he held 42,000 shares in ITV Plc, which operated the defunct TV station iTV.
A report that the EC is preparing to consider the complaint next Tuesday is false, Ittiporn said.
On Tuesday, Pita said the allegation was purely political and was part of an attempt to prevent him from becoming prime minister.
He said the company has not been in the media business since March 7, 2007, after its TV concession contract was terminated by the PM’s Office’s Secretariat.
The shares are part of his deceased father’s estate and he is the estate’s executor, he said, adding that the shares had been transferred to other heirs following the controversy. On Wednesday, Pita was asked by reporters about the alleged conspiracy.
He declined to name who was behind it.
“I don’t know who’s behind it but several people have alerted me [to it],” he said.
He made the comments following a meeting of the eight partners of the coalition he leads. The coalition intends to form the next government.
