Little stands in the way of Sondhi's journey to the top

The fact that he was declared bankrupt by the Central Bankruptcy Court in November 2000 should pose a major obstacle for him becoming a political party executive or even contesting in an election.

According to the Constitution and organic laws on political parties and elections, a political party executive or an election candidate cannot have been declared bankrupt or a fraudulent bankrupt.

In November 2003, three years after he was declared bankrupt, Sondhi's status was repealed under the relevant law. In other words, he is no longer bankrupt.

Sondhi's satellite and publishing businesses suffered a meltdown following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, forcing him into bankruptcy and sparking investigations into irregular transactions. He was technically bankrupt for three years, but after emerging from this status, Sondhi started his own television show called "Thailand Weekly", which was aired on Channel 9.

According to the Bankruptcy Act, any individual declared bankrupt by court is freed from the status three years later, unless he or she is a fraudulent bankrupt, which takes 10 years to come out of.

So, is Sondhi a fraudulent bankrupt?

Fraudulent bankruptcy refers to someone declared bankrupt for offences related to misappropriation, embezzlement or fraudulent acts against a large number of people.

Since Sondhi was taken off his bankruptcy status three years after the first verdict, and since the status was not extended, it is clear that he is not a fraudulent bankrupt.

Given this fact, Sondhi's supporters can rest assured about the qualifications of their prospective party leader.

There are no legal obstacles in Sondhi's path to becoming a political party executive, to contesting in an election, and to finally vying for the seat of prime minister.

However, Sondhi will need to look beyond just the PAD if he wants to put himself forward as a candidate for the country's top post.