EC to file charges against Suthep

The Election Commission will file a charge of electoral fraud against Deputy Prime Minister and Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban for handing out towels carrying his and the party's name.

If found guilty, Suthep could be stripped of his electoral rights for 10 years, given a jail term ranging from one to 10 years and forced to pay a fine from Bt20,000 to Bt200,000.

Election commissioner Prapun Naigowit said yesterday the EC would go ahead with filing a charge against Suthep because the Court of Appeal yesterday endorsed its judgement on the matter.

Court sanction is required because the EC had endorsed the victory of politicians linked to Suthep before proof of fraud was found. Prapun said the EC's legal side would inform election authorities in Surat Thani to file an electoral-fraud charge against Suthep.

A similar charge would also be filed against Democrat politicians Chumpol Kanchana and Praphon Ninwatcharamanee for handing out towels with their and the party's name to people at a Songkran celebration last year, the commissioner said.

The incident took place in the run-up to local elections in Koh Samui, where Suthep's brother Thanee and Surinya Yuennan, another politician linked to the Democrats, were contesting. Thanee's victory was rescinded by the EC and Surinya disqualified.

Prapun said even though Suthep is a Democrat executive, the charges against him would not lead to the ruling party being dissolved. "This case involves a local election, while the dissolution penalty only applies to MP elections," Prapun said.

He added that the law does not require Suthep to be suspended and that as an MP he could exercise his right for immunity during a parliamentary session.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party, declined to comment on the matter yesterday, saying he preferred to look at the court verdict in detail first.

In a separate development, Prompong Nopparit, spokesman for the opposition Pheu Thai Party, said he submitted a petition to the EC asking for it to expedite inquiries into alleged irregularities involving a donation of Bt258 million to the Democrat Party. Prompong said two months had passed since Pheu Thai filed the complaint. He said if the EC adhered to the same principle used in the dissolution of Thai Rak Thai and People Power parties, the Democrat Party should also end up being disbanded.