With only 3 days until the general election, Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, and one of the favourites to be the next prime minister, is suddenly facing an uncertain political future, following an allegation that he owns undeclared shares in a media company, in violation of the Constitution.
Political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday, claiming that Pita is not qualified to run in this Sunday’s general election and should be removed from the race.
Ruangkrai said Pita holds 42,000 shares in ITV Plc, which is a media firm. The Constitution prohibits owners or shareholders of media firms from running for political office.
ITV was Thailand’s first independent broadcaster, set up in the aftermath of the May 1992 uprising. It ceased operations in 2007, but Ruangkrai claims that ITV is still an active media company doing radio broadcasts and operating an advertising business via its website. The company reportedly earned Bt21 million in revenue last year.
He also claims that he checked ITV’s shareholder list and discovered that, since April 7th this year, Pita has been shareholder No. 6121 with 42,000 shares.
The activist also questioned why Pita did not include the ITV shares in his assets declaration upon becoming an MP 2019.
Ruangkrai will also ask the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to investigate Pita’s alleged asset concealment.
Meanwhile, Pita said he is not worried about the complaint and has already assigned a legal team to prepare his defence.
“I’m not worried because I did not do anything that is against the law,” Pita said, while insisting that this problem is a result of his party’s growing popularity ahead of the election on Sunday.
Pita also said that he submitted information about his ownership of the shares to the National Anti-Corruption Commission in 2019 and explained that he owns the shares in his capacity as the executor of his father’s will.
His 2019 asset declaration, however, contains no mention of the shares. Pita admitted on Thursday that, while he has already submitted the share details to the NACC, he is unsure whether they were in the first or subsequent submissions.
“I already submitted details about the shares, I saw it with my own eyes,” he said.
Meanwhile, EC Secretary General Sawaeng Boonmee said that he has not yet seen Ruangkrai’s complaint but, since the complaint is about the qualification of a candidate, it can be dealt before or after the election.
According to the election law, the Election Commission can seek a ruling from the Supreme Court if it finds, before the election, that a candidate is not qualified. The commission can also conduct an investigation into the complaint after the election or before the election results are officially announced.
