Srisuwan pressed the Election Commission to revoke protection for three witnesses who reversed their statements in the Senate election rigging case, urging prompt criminal proceedings for false statements and warning that ignoring the issue could constitute a violation of Section 157 of the Criminal Code.
At 10:00 a.m. on 21 September 2026, at the Election Commission (EC) office, Srisuwan Janya, leader of the Patriotic Organization, submitted a petition urging the EC to strictly enforce the law by revoking the protection of three individuals as witnesses in the Senate election rigging case, which may have been conducted dishonestly and unfairly as defined by law. He called for swift criminal action under Sections 137, 175, and 177 of the Criminal Code against the three witnesses who reversed their testimonies.
Srisuwan stated that following the EC’s press conference on 14 September 2026 regarding the investigation of the Senate election suspected of dishonesty and unfairness as stipulated by law, the EC resolved to refer 77 involved individuals to the Supreme Court for prosecution. The majority decision did not indict the Blue Party executives but charged only 26 senators and their network. This revealed credible evidence of election rigging. However, after the EC chairman announced that the majority rejected the testimonies of three previously protected witnesses under Section 65 of the 2018 Senate Election Act and the EC’s 2020 witness protection regulations—witness codes 16, 21, and 22—the witnesses reversed their statements. Consequently, the majority deemed their testimonies unreliable, casting doubt on the rigging allegations and causing significant concern among legal and justice circles.
Since these witnesses dared to reverse their statements, it is the EC’s duty, as officials under the Criminal Code, to revoke their witness protection in accordance with the EC regulations on witness protection without prosecution, Article 10. The EC must promptly initiate two criminal charges: first, the election case involving revocation of political rights under Section 62 of the Senate Election Act; second, the offenses of false reporting and false testimony to officials under Sections 137, 175, and 177 of the Criminal Code.
If the EC neglects this duty, it may itself commit a criminal offense. The 2017 Election Commission Act Section 69 clearly states that EC commissioners who act or omit unlawful duties face imprisonment up to 5 years, fines up to 100,000 baht, or both, and a 10-year disqualification from voting. This also violates the 2018 Anti-Corruption Act Section 172 and Criminal Code Section 157 concerning public officials who improperly perform or omit their official duties through misconduct or corruption.