BANGKOK — 9 February 2026, Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has ruled that 44 former lawmakers from the dissolved Move Forward Party committed serious ethical violations over their role in proposing amendments to the Criminal Code’s Section 112, the lese-majeste law.
The commission voted to substantiate the case against the former MPs, who were accused of breaching or failing to comply with severe ethical standards after jointly signing a bill to amend Section 112. The case will now be forwarded to the Supreme Court for further proceedings.
If the Supreme Court accepts the case for trial, any accused who currently hold political office would be required to immediately suspend their duties, according to officials familiar with the process.
All 44 individuals are now members of the People’s Party, following the dissolution of Move Forward. Some of those accused are former Move Forward executives who have already been stripped of their political rights by a Constitutional Court ruling.
The NACC said it would compile the case file and submit it to the Supreme Court, which will take time to review the evidence before deciding whether to accept the case.
The case stems from a complaint filed with the NACC accusing the 44 former MPs of intentionally violating, or failing to comply with, serious ethical standards by proposing amendments to Section 112 of the Criminal Code.
The controversy dates back to February 2021, when Pita Limjaroenrat, then leader of the Move Forward Party, submitted a package of bills to parliament signed by 44 party MPs. The proposals included legislation to protect freedom of expression and rights in the justice process, as well as amendments to Section 112. The move sparked widespread public debate, drawing both support and opposition.
In the general election held on 14 May 2023, Move Forward won 151 seats, the most of any party. Pita, the party’s prime ministerial candidate at the time, ultimately failed to secure the post after not receiving backing from the 250-member appointed Senate under transitional provisions of the 2017 constitution, leaving the party in opposition.
On 30 May 2023, lawyer Theerayut Suwannakesorn petitioned the attorney-general, arguing that Pita’s actions and the party’s push to amend Section 112 could be deemed hostile to Thailand’s constitutional monarchy. He later filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, which ordered Move Forward to cease campaigning to amend the law.
On 31 January 2024, the Constitutional Court ruled that Move Forward’s efforts to amend Section 112 constituted an abuse of rights aimed at undermining the democratic system with the king as head of state, and ordered the party to halt all related actions immediately.
The Election Commission subsequently forwarded the ruling to the Constitutional Court, which on 7 August 2024 ordered the dissolution of the Move Forward Party and banned 11 party executives from politics for 10 years.
The remaining MPs continued to serve in parliament and later joined the People’s Party, electing Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut as party leader.
Despite the party’s dissolution and the bans imposed on its executives, Theerayut pursued further action by filing a complaint with the NACC, seeking an investigation and prosecution of the 44 former Move Forward MPs who signed the proposed amendment to Section 112. A conviction for serious ethical violations could result in a further loss of political rights.