Attempts to frame election candidates can lead to prison: EC
The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday warned that falsifying charges against any election candidate can result in up to two years in prison as well as a 40,000 baht fine.
An information graphic on its website says that falsifying complaints against election candidates violates Article 143 of the MPs Election Act.
Many netizens have said the warning is linked to allegations that Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat is not qualified for office because he had held shares in “media company” ITV Plc.
The EC, however, did not mention a specific case on Sunday.
It simply cited the first paragraph of the article, which says:
“Any person who, with falsity, commits any act with a view to causing others to misunderstand that any candidate acts in violation of or fails to comply with this Organic Act shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to a fine not exceeding forty thousand baht and the Court shall order revocation of such person’s right to vote for a term of five years.”
Last month, political gadfly Ruangkrai Leekitwattana filed a complaint with the EC alleging that Pita was not qualified to contest the election because he held shares in “media firm” ITV Plc.
Pita responded that the complaint was a conspiracy to block him from becoming prime minister.
He said he was not worried because ITV was no longer a media firm and he held shares for other heirs as the executor of his father’s estate.
Ruangkrai filed the complaint after Nik Saensirinawin, a failed Bhumjaithai candidate for Bangkok, wrote in an April 24 Facebook post that Pita held 42,000 shares in ITV Plc and urged Pita to come out and admit to the EC that he was not qualified to run for the election.
Nik gave another interview to reporters about the shareholding on May 9 – the same day that Ruangkrai filed his complaint against Pita with the EC.
Nik transferred his ITV shares to his friend, Phanuwat Kwanyuen, before applying in early April to contest the May 14 election.
During an ITV shareholders’ meeting, it was Phanuwat who asked the chairman of the meeting, Kim Siritaweechai, CEO of Intouch, whether ITV was still operating as a media business.
Intouch holds a majority stake in ITV.
Several legal experts and academics expressed their belief Pita would get off the hook because he held the shares as an executor and because ITV was no longer an active media firm. Broadcaster iTV went off the air in 2007 and ITV Plc was subsequently delisted from the Stock Exchange of Thailand. It does, however, still operate as a legal entity.
