Watchara appeals to the Ombudsman to forward the case to the NACC for criminal prosecution of 152 Election Commissioners, alleging intentional assistance to a senator election collusion network to avoid punishment.
On 17 Sep 2026 at the Ombudsman's office, Watchara Phetthong, former Democrat Party MP, disclosed he submitted a complaint requesting the Ombudsman to exercise legal authority to refer the case to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to prosecute the Election Commission (EC) and associates for misconduct or neglect of duty under Sections 157 and 200. He cited discriminatory behavior, noting the EC filed Supreme Court charges against only 77 senator election fraud suspects in 2024, while dropping cases against 152 others despite the EC's Investigation Committee No. 26 having collected clear evidence implicating all 229 individuals.
"The EC Investigation Committee No. 26 compiled thorough evidence of senator election fraud, including network charts linking 138 candidates with 91 party vote brokers, voting order lists, financial trails, CCTV footage, and video clips. They recommended the EC file Supreme Court charges against all 229 suspects. Key evidence identifies Ratthana Botham, personal expert to MP Chalat Ratchakitprakarn (party list and executive of Bhumjaithai Party), who made 62 phone calls coordinating with 19 senators, constituting credible proof of violating Section 62 of the Senator Election Act 2018. However, the EC filed charges against only 77 suspects, neglecting the other 152 without new evidence or legal justification to split the accused into two groups," Watchara said.
Watchara added that this conduct appears to intentionally shield certain individuals from punishment, amounting to multiple offenses totaling 152 counts. Meanwhile, EC Subcommittee No. 36 and EC Deputy Secretary-General Kanchit Charoen-in, acting for the Secretary-General, issued an opinion on 15 Sep 2025 recommending dismissal of complaints against 21 accused persons—all political groups and executives of the Bhumjaithai Party—while urging criminal prosecution for the other 229 counts. Watchara therefore urges the Ombudsman to summon the EC to submit investigation documents from Committees 26 and 36, the Deputy Secretary-General’s opinion, and the rationale for not filing charges with the Supreme Court within 15 days, and to promptly forward the case to the NACC for urgent criminal proceedings against the EC and associates to prevent delays that deny justice (Justice delayed is justice denied).
