Bangkok: Investigators block the Election Commission in the Senate collusion case, revealing that 40 more senators had their phone signals detected at the Pullman Hotel on July 21, 2024. Parit Wacharasindhu, a party-list MP from the People's Party, preemptively warns the Election Commission against dismissing charges against politicians in the Senate collusion case. He reveals that 40 more senators were found to have phone signals indicating they gathered at the Pullman Hotel on July 21, 2024, believing there is sufficient evidence to proceed with charges.
According to Thai News Agency, Parit Wacharasindhu stated at the Leader of the Opposition's forum on the topic of "In-depth analysis of evidence in the Senate collusion case" that the Election Commission (EC) recently issued a statement indicating it is preparing to make a final decision on whether to indict those accused in the Senate collusion case on September 14th. Many have analyzed the reasons for the postponement or the timing of the decision, noting that this forum is one of the final stages before the EC's ruling. However, he affirmed that they will continue communicating until the final day, and today he will use this opportunity to present some new information.
Mr. Parit further stated that of the 229 accused, 21 are ministers, MPs, and members of the Bhumjaithai Party's executive committee. Therefore, he expressed concern over the interview given by Mr. Saeng Boonmee, the Election Commission's Secretary-General, which seemed to be a way out to avoid prosecuting these politicians. He questioned how strong the evidence needs to be for the Election Commission to file charges. Does it need to include bank transfer slips? He emphasized that it doesn't need to be that extensive. However, the evidence at this stage is not conclusive for a court ruling; it must be credible evidence of corruption. According to the law, the Election Commission's duty is to file charges based on credible evidence of corruption. He urged against applying court standards to the Election Commission's work, noting that in the past, the Commission has prosecuted accused individuals based solely on a few LINE messages. He asked whether the evidence presented so far is insufficient, noting that the various pieces of evidence-including vote counts, payment records, and call logs-are like jigsaw pieces that need to be put together to create a clear picture. He believes this evidence is credible and sufficient to prove wrongdoing. The movement involving these more than 200 people actually exists.
Mr. Parit further revealed that today they have information to disclose regarding politicians who have been accused. The first person he would like to mention is Mr. Napinthorn Srisarppang, Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office. Following their exchange of information on August 28th on a television program, and Mr. Napinthorn's subsequent press conference in the afternoon, Mr. Parit stated that, for fairness, there is some conclusive information, but also some inconclusive information. He noted that some points in Mr. Napinthorn's interview raised suspicions and required further investigation, particularly regarding the gathering of over 10 individuals in Mr. Napinthorn's office.
I asked Mr. Napinthorn if he knew anyone who became a senator in Ratchaburi province. Mr. Napinthorn said he knew two people: one owns a hotel in Ban Pong district, and the other helps farmers. What I find suspicious is why Mr. Napinthorn didn't directly state how he knew these two, especially Mr. Sampan, who used to be an advisor to the Sri Muang Market, which Mr. Napinthorn owns, suggesting a close relationship with him. Finally, when I asked if any senatorial candidates were at the Ministry of Commerce at the same time as the incident in the Minister's office, Mr. Napinthorn cut me off, saying that there were 4-5 thousand people at the Ministry of Commerce, so what did that have to do with me? Upon further investigation, I found that it wasn't just any senatorial candidate who had evidence of being at the Ministry of Commerce on the same day as the incident in the office, but these two: 1. Senator Phawana from Ratchaburi, whom Mr. Napinthorn admitted to knowing, and 2. Senator Waraphat from Phetchaburi, wh ose name appeared on almost every order slip. I would like to ask these two senators what they were doing at the Ministry of Commerce on that day.
Mr. Parit reiterated that his statements were not intended to point fingers at anyone or say who was right or wrong, but rather to indicate that all the evidence presented was credible evidence of corruption.
Mr. Parit further stated that he initially wanted to reveal the information at the Pullman Hotel, but the change of venue was not a problem, as it would have been disclosed regardless. He explained that this is part of the evidence demonstrating the strength of the Election Commission's (EC) position. He mentioned that they have heard a lot regarding the Pullman Hotel, and one piece of information concerns phone call location data, indicating the whereabouts of individuals making and receiving calls. There is information that 40 senators' phone records show them in the vicinity of the Pullman Hotel on July 21, 2024. These 40 names are among the 229 individuals indicted by the 26th committee. This is evidence that the EC and related agencies should already possess. As he emphasized, putting the pieces of the puzzle together, it's undeniable that the process of rigging the Senate elections actually occurred. He believes that if the agencies have this evidence, it will be sufficient for the EC to decide to indic t the accused in court.
Then, Ms. Panida Mongkolsawas, MP for Samut Prakan from the People's Party, spoke about the network of relationships between Senators from Uthai Thani and Mr. Jetset Thaiseth, Deputy Minister of Interior. After investigating, she found connections through assistants, work history, and phone records. She mentioned four Senators from Uthai Thani, starting with Mr. Alongkot Worakee, a former Deputy Governor of Uthai Thani, who had a history of 31 phone calls with Mr. Jetset, and 3 calls with Mr. Chada Thaiseth, an MP from Uthai Thani from the Bhumjaithai Party. She affirmed that the appearance of phone records during the Senate election period was not wrong, but demonstrated the network of relationships and raised questions about key figures, such as ministers. She noted that Mr. Alongkot had a former assistant who clearly had close ties to Mr. Jetset's working group.
Another individual, a Senator, who has a relationship with Mr. Jaset is Senator Sutont. It was found that he had seven phone calls with Mr. Jaset and one call with Mr. Chada. Furthermore, Senator Sutont is a classmate of Mr. Chada in the 13th class of the National Executive Development Program. The next individual is Senator Saiphon, who is believed to be friends with a candidate for Member of Parliament in Uttaradit Province from the Bhumjaithai Party. This is because Saiphon previously posted on Facebook stating, "If I don't support a friend, who will I support?" This candidate, before being elected as an MP, was also a member of Mr. Jaset's expert team. Additionally, there is one recorded phone call between Senator Saiphon and Mr. Jaset. The final individual is Senator Wanchai. Although there is no record of phone calls between them, Senator Wanchai's former expert team member was also a member of Mr. Jaset's team.
Ms. Panida further stated that some documents revealed that individuals appointed as senators in Uthai Thani province, and related persons, had previously been present at the alleged location of vote-buying slips at Khlong Suan Phlu Resort in Ayutthaya province, prior to the national senatorial election. It is understood that the owner of the venue has very close ties to the Prime Minister and the Bhumjaithai Party.
"Some witnesses confirmed that Mr. Alongkot said at the event, during the preparation of the vote sheet, 'We are gathered here, and there will be those who are disappointed and those who are successful. If anyone is disappointed, we will find a position for them, and there will be a team to handle how we will proceed. Please believe us,'" Ms. Panida said.
Ms. Panida stated that, in addition, information has emerged that after the meeting to prepare the voting slips, cash was distributed to each participant at 20,000 baht. They were also informed that if the vote count matched the slips, they would receive an additional 80,000 baht, and if they could ensure that more than 120 senators were elected, they would receive another 100,000 baht each.