Panida Mongkolsawat reveals the timeline of the Senate election rigging case, exposing a cabinet resolution ordering the transfer of the director handling the Prime Minister and Khao Kradong cases, criticizing the move as intended to steer the case's direction.
On 6 September 2026, Ms. Panida Mongkolsawat, an MP for Samut Prakan from the Prachachon Party, spoke about the timeline of Special Case No. 24/2568 involving triad and money laundering offenses linked to the Senate election under the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). She said that during additional investigations, on 7 July 2026, the cabinet resolved to transfer the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice to serve as an advisor to the Prime Minister, after which the permanent secretary immediately resigned. Later, on 26 August 2026, Mr. Piyasiri Watthanawarangkul assumed the permanent secretary position. Two days after taking office, he signed two orders related to the 'blue case': first, ordering disciplinary action against Pol. Lt. Col. Natthaphon Disyatham, director of the DSI's Natural Resources and Environment Case Division, without a prior fact-finding inquiry. Pol. Lt. Col. Natthaphon is involved in several key cases: 1. Encroachment on 4,414 rai of railway land at Khao Kradong; 2. Encroachment on 250 rai of public and canal land at Khao Kradong; 3. Using a public road as a private airport runway and the Khanong Phra golf course in Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima, where Mr. Anutin's name appears as the permit applicant; 4. Distortion of the justice process in the Tangmo case. Pol. Lt. Col. Natthaphon was also slated to become DSI director if a position became vacant.
Ms. Panida added that Mr. Piyasiri’s actions included removing the lead investigator on the triad and money laundering case related to the Senate election and reassigning him to an administrative role. Then, on 3 September 2026, news emerged about upcoming transfers of DSI directors and deputy directors, with names including Pol. Lt. Col. Anurak Rojanirundrit, DSI deputy director and one of the DSI investigators in the triad-money laundering Senate election case, who also served on the Election Commission’s 26th inquiry committee that voted to indict 229 individuals. Reports indicated he might be transferred to deputy director of the Department of Legal Execution. We are questioning whether these moves are routine personnel management or attempts to influence the direction of this politically sensitive case. Furthermore, if the Election Commission rules that none of the 229 individuals committed wrongdoing, it raises the question of whether the DSI will also dismiss the case it currently holds, citing a lack of grounds for prosecution.