Bhumjaithai Figures Face Supreme Court Charges in Senatorial Rigging Plot

AT LEAST several among a couple of dozen Bhumjaithai partisan members including Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul plus de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, all of whom have been suspected of illegitimate involvement in the 2024 senatorial rigging conspiracy, might probably be prosecuted in the Supreme Court in addition to more than half the 138 suspected senators, former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said today (Sep.10). The former commissioner forecast that his current successors might probably opt on the upcoming Monday to press charges in the Supreme Court against at least six out of the total 22 Bhumjaithai partisan figures either currently being ministers or lawmakers or executive board members for their having been evidently involved one way or another in the vote-buying, bloc-vote rigging shenanigans alongside 70-plus out of the total 138 suspected senators who had landed questionable “victories” in the complicated, triple-tiered races to parliament two years ago, thanks to the conspiracy designed, masterminded and manipulated by those attached to or associated with the Bhumjaithai, core of the current coalition government. The six partisan figures who, Somchai said, had been allegedly evidently instrumental in the electoral rigging plot include two MPs and four executive board members of the largest ruling party. The 22 Bhumjaithai suspects include nearly a dozen members of cabinet namely Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Deputy Prime Minister Songsak Thongsri, Tourism & Sports Minister Surasak Pancharoenworakul, Deputy Transport Minister Patrapong Patraprasit, Prime Minister’s Office Ministers Paradorn Prisnanuntakul, Napinthorn Srisanpang, Suksamruay Wantaneeyakul and Supamas Isarapakdee, chief government whip Koravee Prisnanuntakul, the prime minister’s secretary Traisulee Traisaranakul and Anutin as party leader plus Newin as de facto party boss, among others. Somchai remarked that the commissioners might probably anticipate a severe, political impact on Newin’s ultra-conservative camp as a whole if any of those partisan figures were prosecuted in the Supreme Court alongside those suspected senators. On the other hand, he said, the commissioners might as well be considerably concerned over the likelihood of themselves being given misconduct and duty-negligence charges which could possibly land them terms in prison if they eventually did otherwise by sparing those Bhumjaithai elements any electoral rigging charges in court. If a lawsuit pertaining to the senatorial rigging scandals was formally accepted for consideration in the Supreme Court, all the suspected Bhumjaithai members of cabinet, MPs and executive board members as well as the suspected senators would be immediately suspended by court from doing their executive or legislative duties pending a court ruling on such an historic case. If finally found guilty as charged in court, all the suspects would be immediately deprived of their executive or legislative status whilst the ruling party as a whole would be dissolved with their partisan members being prohibited from seeking or assuming political positions at any levels for a number of years.