March 13, 2025
BANGKOK – A group of 105 senators on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), seeking a malfeasance investigation into the justice minister and the chief of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) over their probe into the senators.
In the complaint, signed by 105 senators, the upper chamber members alleged that Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong and DSI Director-General Yutthana Praedam had violated Article 157 of the Criminal Code. They argued that the DSI had no authority to investigate elected senators, as this power belongs solely to the Election Commission (EC).
The DSI launched its investigation following a request by a group of unsuccessful senatorial candidates. The Board of Special Cases then convened to determine whether to accept the case of alleged voting collusion among certain winning senatorial candidates as a special case for the DSI to investigate.
Board Vote and DSI’s Money Laundering Probe
Initially, reports suggested that the board failed to secure the required two-thirds majority to classify the case as a special case under Article 21 of the Special Case Act.
However, Tawee later clarified to reporters that the board had voted by a simple majority of present members to accept the case. He emphasised that while the DSI would not investigate voting collusion, as that falls under the EC’s jurisdiction, it would probe allegations of money laundering involving certain election winners.
According to Tawee, the DSI would examine financial transactions totalling approximately 300 million baht, believed to have been used by some winning candidates to buy support from peer voters.
Senators Accuse Tawee, DSI Chief of Bias
Leading the group of senators in submitting the complaint at the NACC Office was Senator Chattrawat Saengphet, who handed it over to NACC Secretary-General Saroj Pueungramphan.
Speaking to reporters after filing the complaint, Chattrawat called on the NACC to investigate whether Tawee and the DSI chief had committed malfeasance and acted with an ulterior motive to persecute senators.
He insisted that all 200 senators were properly elected in accordance with the Organic Law on MPs and Senators Elections and EC regulations. He stated that all winning candidates had been thoroughly screened by the EC from the application stage through to their election in all rounds of peer voting.
Chattrawat further claimed that the decision by Tawee and the DSI chief to accept the case as a special case had misled the public, causing misunderstanding and resentment towards senators.