Pheu Thai member sought kickback in return for not cutting a department budget
A former Pheu Thai MP for Mukdahan has been sentenced to six years in jail for demanding a 5-million-baht bribe.
The sentence against Anurak Tangpanitanon was handed down on Tuesday by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions.
Mr Anurak plans to appeal the sentence.
He had been found guilty earlier of demanding the bribe in exchange for passing a proposed budget allocation deal when he served on the House committee vetting the 2021 budget bill.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) recommended his indictment after its inquiry found there were grounds for the allegation.
In its ruling, the court found Mr Anurak guilty of violating the Criminal Code and the anti-corruption law for demanding the bribe from Sakda Wichiansilp, director-general of the Department of Groundwater Resources, in exchange for not cutting the department’s budget.
In addition to the six-year prison sentence, the court also retrospectively stripped Mr Anurak of the MP position he had held from April 19, 2021. It banned him from running in an election and holding political positions for life and from voting for 10 years.
In January this year, the court found him guilty of violating the parliamentary code of ethics for demanding the bribe. The misconduct was deemed an abuse of his authority as an MP to obtain personal gain, which is prohibited under Section 87 of the 2018 organic law on corruption suppression and prevention.
The scandal came to light when Mr Sakda revealed it during a meeting with the sub-committee reviewing the budget allocation for his department. He said a sub-committee member had demanded 5 million baht in exchange for passing the proposed budget allocation.