The leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP), Pita Limjaroenrat, has allegedly divested his holdings in a media company in an attempt to keep his pursuit of becoming the next Prime Minister of Thailand.
Yet, due to the sale of these shares taking place after his registration to run in the election on May 14, he may still face disqualification due to violating electoral law.
Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a political activist, appealed to the Election Commission to probe into Mr. Pita’s stake in iTV, which he held as of May 10.
On Monday, he articulated his intention to ask the EC to ascertain whether Mr. Pita genuinely divested his stake in the firm.
“Even if he has sold his shares, it won’t have any bearing on the case, as he held the shares before he applied to run in the 2019 and this year’s election,” he commented.
“If he sold the shares after the Move Forward Party nominated him as the party’s prime minister candidate, then the violation had already been committed,” added Mr. Ruangkrai, referring to Section 98 of the constitution.
The leader of the MFP is being investigated for the 42,000 shares he once held in iTV, a standalone broadcaster established in the 1990s. The current constitution forbids a candidate from running for office if they hold a stake in a media company.
Mr. Pita maintains that the accusation was lodged due to political motivations.
If he is convicted of infringing electoral law, Mr. Pita will lose his MP status, making it more difficult for the MFP to assemble the succeeding government.
Mr. Pita asserts that the shares were initially owned by his deceased father, who passed away in 2006.
As the executor of his father’s will, Mr. Pita claims he attempted to sell the shares, but failed to locate a buyer. He previously mentioned that he discussed this issue with the EC prior to his inauguration following the 2019 election.
iTV ceased its broadcasts in 2007, and its license was taken over by Thai PBS. The company was removed from the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2014.
Yet, it maintains an active business registration due to an ongoing dispute with the government concerning unsettled concession fees.
Senator Somchai Swangkarn echoed Mr. Ruangkrai’s sentiment, suggesting that Mr. Pita might have been ineligible to run in the election.
Mr. Somchai noted that registrations for list-MP candidates took place on April 4-7, whereas Mr. Pita purportedly sold his shares in May.
The Election Commission now has a responsibility to advance the case to the Constitutional Court for a decision, as stated by Mr. Somchai, who also noted that the court’s judgment is definitive and obligatory.
Mr. Pita stated on Sunday that he is prepared to clarify the matter to the EC, even though the polling agency has yet to reach out to him. He believes that nothing will hinder his party’s efforts to establish a government.
The MFP’s secretary-general, Chaithawat Tulathon, stated on Monday that the party’s legal team stands ready to address allegations against Mr. Pita’s eligibility.
He emphatically stated that Mr. Pita did not breach any prohibitions outlined in the constitution, as suggested by Mr. Ruangkrai.
Concurrently, the MFP expressed worry on Monday that if MPs-elect found guilty of election law breaches are disqualified, it could hold back Mr. Pita’s run for prime minister.
Mr. Chaithawat expressed that, although he did not anticipate the elected members of the party being included among those facing disqualification, he conceded that issues may surface if those dismissed belong to parties within the MFP-led alliance.
The EC has reported that over 20 complaints have been lodged against elected MPs.
