Nattapon of the Prachachon Party posted that the first meeting of the Budget Oversight Committee was already tense, exposing that the DE Fund spent over one billion baht off-budget without Cabinet approval, while a former MP candidate, husband of 'Lawyer Jam', appeared with a sharp comment on an affair issue and tagged others before deleting it.
On 22 May 2026, Mr. Nattapon Towijakchaichagul, MP for Chiang Mai from the Prachachon Party, posted on Facebook on 21 May 2026 about the first meeting of the Budget Oversight Committee of the House of Representatives. He said it was already tense as the committee considered the agenda on the use of funds from the DE Fund (Digital Economy Development Fund), which has 7,906.82 million baht allocated this fiscal year for supporting various projects.
Mr. Nattapon further explained that this sum is "off-budget" money, meaning it is not subject to approval by the Budget Bureau or the government directly, nor does it pass through any parliamentary body, whether MPs or Senators. This is because it is governed by a specific agency’s own law that allows it to maintain its own fund for flexibility. The authority to approve spending rests solely with an appointed committee as specified by that law.
"Off-budget money" Funds like the DE Fund exist in various forms across Thailand, with very little or almost no political oversight, since the laws do not require significant involvement.
"Off-budget money" This is a major issue for the current Budget Oversight Committee, which intends to scrutinize every detail thoroughly to develop proposals that bring these off-budget funds (which can exceed the official state budget) back under public scrutiny.
Mr. Nattapon also noted that until now, the public barely knows how these funds are spent unless information is requested, because these funds do not show clear details in the annual state budget review. For example, a recent project under the DE Fund is the Generative AI project, offering free use to 5 million Thais for one year, with a budget of 1.6 billion baht. This project has already kicked off with a contractor selected, all without requiring Cabinet approval.
Normally, with the regular state budget, any project exceeding 1 billion baht must be approved by the Cabinet. Here, despite the amount far exceeding one billion baht, only an appointed committee has the authority to approve the spending.
Meanwhile, Pol. Lt. Col. Theerawat Panyanathamkul, former party-list MP candidate for the Prachachon Party and husband of Ms. Sasinan Thamnitinan, MP for Bangkok from the same party, commented, "It's unbelievable that someone who wronged another man's wife still dares to have a place in society," before deleting the comment.
Additionally, Pol. Lt. Col. Theerawat posted on Facebook expressing confusion over why the Prachachon Party would provide space for someone who violated basic ethics, tagging Mr. Nattapon and Ms. Sasinan before deleting the post as well.
