Independent senators are preparing to collect signatures to submit to the Parliament Speaker, requesting the Supreme Court to investigate the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for lack of transparency. They emphasize that Speaker Sopon must forward the matter to the Supreme Court to establish an inquiry committee and should not delay or stall the issue.
At 11:00 a.m. on 27 Apr 2026 GMT+7 at the Parliament, Ms. Nantana Nantawaropas, an independent senator, announced plans to collect signatures from senators under Article 236 of the Constitution to petition the Parliament Speaker. The petition asks the Speaker to send the matter to the Supreme Court to form an inquiry committee to investigate the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). She cited multiple concerns about the NACC’s recent conduct, including cases involving a mother’s ring, a friend’s watch, Indonesian palm oil bribery allegations, the 246-baht gold bribery case, and most recently the dismissal of a complaint against former Transport Minister Sak Siam Chidchob for allegedly not intending to hide shares. This contrasts with the swift action in cases against 44 MPs, where the NACC filed complaints aligned with Constitutional Court rulings, contributing to a yearly decline in Thailand’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The independent senators are uniting to support a petition from the House of Representatives under Article 236 of the 2017 Constitution, requiring one-fifth of combined MPs and senators—140 signatures—to request the Parliament Speaker to forward the matter to the Supreme Court to form an independent inquiry committee to examine the current NACC. They hope Speaker Sopon Sarum will not delay or withhold forwarding the petition by exercising discretion.
Dr. Premsak Piyayura, a senator, stated that the Parliament Speaker must allow this investigation and urged Speaker Sopon not to stall the process as the Senate Speaker did previously during the investigation of alleged vote-rigging among senators. He warned that delaying tactics would open the door to interference by corrupt circles and urged not to listen to dark power groups associated with the 'Blue Connection' or 'Buriram Connection'. He warned that if this process fails, it would seriously damage the oversight system. Forwarding the matter to the Supreme Court is currently the only viable solution; if not pursued, they will seek to investigate the Parliament Speaker’s conduct. He warned shadowy figures aiming to destroy independent bodies merely to maintain their grip on power. Currently, there is significant turmoil in NACC personnel management, with appointments made to fill deputy secretary vacancies by promoting lower-ranking assistant secretaries, overturning seniority, undermining governance principles. There is clear interference in cases, with various investigations manipulated brazenly.