PUBLISHED : 20 Dec 2023 at 12:03
Pita Limjaroenrat, advisory chairman of the Move Forward Party (MFP) charged over his shareholding in the defunct broadcaster iTV, arrived at the Constitutional Court to present his defence statement on Wednesday morning.
Mr Pita was carrying two bags believed to contain documents when he arrived at the Court at 9.10am. The court was due to begin the examination of witnesses in his iTV shareholding case at 9.30am.
Speaking to reporters before entering the court’s room, Mr Pita said he was not worried. He had been waiting for this day for a long time and welcomed the opportunity to explain the facts of the case.
He was confident and hoped he would receive justice from the court, he said, He declined to go into details of the case, saying he would explain in detail in court.
“What I can disclose to the media is that iTV is not a media firm as it has not run a media business since 2007. Its revenue comes from interest from its investment. If comparing with the justice system and past rulings (on similar cases), I am confident that iTV is not a media stock,” said Mr Pita.
He was ready to answer all questions about all aspects of iTV.
“It has been 16 years since my father’s passing in 2006 and ITV has not been in operation since 2007. I will take this opportunity to speak for the first time and communicate. It is a good sign and I have been waiting for this day for a long time,’’ said Mr Pita.
Mr Pita’s supporters showed up at the court to give him encouragement. Some hugged him before he entered the courtroom; some held placards of support for him.
Election Commission secretary-general Sawang Boonmee arrived at the court at 8.40am. He refused to speak to reporters.
On July 19, the Constitutional Court suspended Mr Pita, then Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat from duty as an elected member of the House of Representatives.
The court made the announcement after accepting for consideration a petition involving Mr Pita’s inherited shareholding in defunct media company iTV Plc. The petition was filed by the Election Commission.
The constitution prohibits parliamentarians from holding stock in a media organisation. Mr Pita has argued the 42,000 shares were part of his late father’s estate, which he managed as executor. He said title had since been transferred to relatives. Mr Pita questioned the EC’s motive in investigating his shareholding in iTV.
He asked the EC whether its move to ask the court to suspend him from MP duty pending a ruling was fair. iTV and the telecom firm Intouch Holdings, its major shareholder, had produced financial documents showing that the defunct media firm had stopped broadcasting and had no income from media operations.
Citing previous media shareholding complaints against about 60 MPs in 2020, he said they were not suspended from duty pending rulings.