Self-styled whistleblower Ruangkrai Leekitwattana has asked the Election Commission (EC) to investigate the conduct of former deputy prime minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit, whom he accuses of using a private jet for travel while campaigning, which could constitute a violation of the Election Act.
Ruangkrai also accuses Suriya, a prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai Party, of under-declaring the value of his private jet—a used Gulfstream G550—at 30 million baht to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), instead of what Ruangkrai claims is the correct value of about 800 million baht for an aircraft of this make and model.
File photo: Gulfstream G550
Suriya claims that the jet was purchased from Benjamin Mauerberger, also known as “Ben Smith,” a South African fixer with close financial ties to Yim Leak, a powerful Cambodian businessman who is wanted in Thailand on money laundering charges.
In an urgent letter sent to the EC today, Ruangkrai, who is standing as a Palang Pracharath Party candidate in Bangkok, asked the commission to verify whether Suriya had notified the EC each time he used the private jet while campaigning and to determine whether such use breaches Section 73 or other provisions of the Election Act.
Ruangkrai said that the former deputy prime minister, who also served as transport minister, declared that he purchased the jet on September 17, 2024, for 30 million baht, without providing further details to the NACC when he left office on September 24, 2025. He suggested that the anti-corruption watchdog should investigate the aircraft’s true purchase price.
Responding to the allegations, Pheu Thai Party deputy spokesman Kritchanon Aiyapanya said today that Suriya’s declaration of 30 million baht to the NACC represented only his share of the total purchase price. He said the jet cost 862 million baht in total, inclusive of import duties and value-added tax.
Kritchanon added that the aircraft is family-owned, with Suriya holding a 30-million-baht share, and that it was legally imported on September 13, 2024. He also said that the last time Suriya used the jet was in November last year.
