EC Asks Court to Rule on Disqualifying Thanathorn

A file photo of Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit

BANGKOK — Election regulators on Thursday asked the Constitutional Court to strip the leader of the popular Future Forward Party of his MP seat.

According to a statement, the Election Commission forwarded the case to the Constitutional Court today after finding sufficient evidence that Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit violated election regulations by holding stakes in a media firm after registering as an MP candidate.

A court date has yet to be appointed. If found guilty, Thanathorn would face disqualification from parliament as well as up to 10 years in prison. He would also be barred from entering politics for a maximum of 20 years.

Thanathorn has vehemently denied the allegations. The 40-year-old said he relinquished his 675,000 shares in V-Luck Media Company in January, well before he registered as an MP candidate on February 6.

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However, V-Luck Media only removed Thanathorn’s name as a shareholder on March 21, just three days prior to the election.

Thanathorn and his supporters maintain the complaint filed by the Election Commission is a political weapon to bar him from parliament.

“Instead of spending time defending the public interest … I have to dedicate my time to contesting these charges,” the businessman-turned-politician said on April 30. “This is what saddens me: using laws and the lack of facts to destroy one another.”