The Justice Minister revealed that investigations have found 10 former MPs and MP candidates involved in online gambling and scammer networks. He hinted that an arrest operation might be launched soon and responded to "Rom" regarding previous remarks denying political involvement, explaining it was made on a day he was delivering policy guidelines.
At 10:30 a.m. on 8 Jan 2026 GMT+7 Pol. Lt. Gen. Rutthaphon Naowarat, Minister of Justice, gave an interview after chairing the Kick Off event “White Rehabilitation, New Opportunities: Creating 100% Drug-Free Zones” concerning Mr. Rangsiman Rome, a party-list MP candidate from the People’s Party, who posted on Facebook criticizing Pol. Lt. Gen. Rutthaphon’s statement at the Technology Crime Suppression Division headquarters. Rome summarized that the Justice Minister’s statement claiming no politicians or MP candidates were involved with scammers or online gambling reflects a clear failure of government administration. He said this government is completely ineffective at preventing gray networks from gaining power.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Rutthaphon said the incident took place on a day he was delivering policy guidelines to the cyber police. A reporter asked if there were discussions about MP candidates or MPs involved with drugs. He replied no, as he was just giving guidelines. He acknowledged this might have caused miscommunication, making it seem like he was denying any MP or candidate’s involvement with online gambling or drugs. However, the investigations into these issues have been ongoing continuously by the cyber police and the Royal Thai Police, and it is expected that soon there may be operations to arrest MP candidates or former MPs involved in online gambling.
The Justice Minister confirmed he holds databases of several politicians linked to these matters, but the question was asked on a day he was only delivering policy guidelines, so at that time, no information was disclosed. Regarding the politician database, investigations have found about 10 former MPs and MPs involved with online gambling websites. Most are MP candidates and some current MPs, connected to both online gambling and scammer networks. This in-depth investigation integrates data from the cyber police, Royal Thai Police, and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), working together to update the public on progress.
At the end, Pol. Lt. Gen. Rutthaphon addressed concerns that during election campaigns, money obtained illegally—from cases like online gambling or drugs—might be used for vote-buying or campaign financing. He said this is a serious concern and why he delivered policy guidelines to the cyber police now, as the election approaches and such reports have surfaced, aiming to prevent these incidents.