The adjudicating subcommittee No. 36 voted 5 to 2 to dismiss allegations of collusion in the 2024 senator election against 229 individuals, finding no evidence of wrongdoing. It is expected the matter will not be included in the Election Commission's agenda by next week. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) stated this ruling has no effect on the criminal case of sedition and money laundering involving senators.
On 12 Mar at17:00 GMT+7At the Election Commission office, reports indicate that the adjudicating subcommittee No. 36, chaired by Police Lieutenant Colonel Piya Raksakul, former Deputy Director-General of the Department of Special Investigation, voted 5 to 2. The majority decided that the 229 individuals accused of wrongdoing in the 2024 senator electionhave no wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the two dissenting members believed that 134 individuals among thesenatorscurrently numbering 138,should be charged.
This decision contradicts the findings of the Central Investigation and Inquiry Committee No. 26, a joint working group between the Election Commission and the Department of Special Investigation, chaired by Deputy Secretary-General of the EC, Police Lieutenant Colonel Chanin Noilek. That committee had previously concluded the case against 229 accused individuals, including 138 current senators, political party executives,members of parliament,party members, and related networks totaling 91 people.
Reporters note that this matter remains under consideration by the adjudicating subcommitteeNo. 36, with no finalized report submitted to the EC office, nor has it been scheduled for the EC's regular weekly meetings on Mondays and Tuesdays. Once the report is finalized, it will require seven days to be placed on the EC meeting agenda.It is expected that this willnot be ready for the next week's meeting.Latest updates from within the Department of Special Investigation reveal that following reports about the adjudicating subcommittee No. 36's decision to find no evidence against the 229 accused in the senator election collusion case, this opinion will be submitted to the full Election Commission board for final adjudication. However, the earlier prosecution recommendation from the Central Investigation and Inquiry Committee No. 26, which also named 229 accused, will likewise be reviewed by the full Election Commission. Both subcommittees serve as advisory bodies providing opinions, discussions, and screening of case files for the Election Commission. The final decision rests solely with the full commission, which must consider the cases and circumstances from Committee No. 26 and how they differ from the adjudicating subcommittee No. 36's findings. Since the two subcommittees' opinions differ completely, the Committee No. 26 cannot appeal; only the full Election Commission can decide.
DSI states the ruling has no impact on the criminal sedition and money laundering case involving senators.