Thai Parliamentary Committee Summons Ministers Over Alleged Bribe

The Committee on Law, Justice, and Human Rights of the Thai House of Representatives has resolved to summon Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, and Deputy Minister of Interior, Worasit Liangprasit, to explain an alleged 40 million baht bribe related to the suppression of online gambling websites. The committee chairman, Ransiman Rome, announced this following a committee meeting. The issue involves allegations that a person, identified as 'Mr. Q,' attempted to bribe Minister Chaiwut with 40 million baht through an assistant to a Member of Parliament (MP) concerning the crackdown on approximately 4,000 online gambling websites. The committee has established a timeline, indicating contact between the assistant MP, named Mr. Chathramongkol Rangsanphan, and Mr. Q on September 20, 2023. Subsequently, coordination with Deputy Minister Worasit occurred on September 25, 2023, followed by Deputy Minister Worasit's communication with Minister Chaiwut on September 30, 2023. However, Mr. Q, who was questioned by the committee, denied being the same individual accused by Minister Chaiwut. 'We are now unsure whether the information Minister Chaiwut presented in parliament and subsequently reported to the authorities is factual, as Mr. Q himself denies it,' stated Chairman Rome. Furthermore, the committee revealed that neither the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, the Central Investigation Bureau, nor the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has provided any factual evidence to support Minister Chaiwut's claim of approximately 4,000 online gambling websites. Consequently, Chairman Rome suggested, 'If no further evidence is found, Minister Chaiwut may have made false statements in parliament or filed a false report with the police.' He also indicated that if the existence of 4,000 gambling websites is indeed true, the police bear responsibility for the delay in action, as no measures have been taken for nearly a year. By a majority vote of 8 to 1, the committee ordered Minister Chaiwut to appear, and by a vote of 8 to 2, Deputy Minister Worasit was also summoned to provide explanations on September 17, 2024, at 9:30 AM. Chairman Rome expressed his hope that both ministers would cooperate with the committee's inquiries. He also noted that failure to attend could lead to further investigation into their adherence to legal duties, as both ministers are legally obligated to respond to the committee's summons under Article 129 of the Constitution and the law on the powers of parliamentary committees. Source: INN News