PUBLISHED: 23 Mar 2024 at 04: 00
A group of supporters of the opposition Move Forward Party ( MFP ) yesterday petitioned the Central Investigation Bureau ( CIB ) to investigate malfeasance allegedly committed by the Election Commission (EC ) in its handling of the MFP’s dissolution case.
The move follows the EC’s petitioning the Constitutional Court to dissolve the MFP after the judge had on Jan 31 ruled that the MFP’s efforts to change Part 112 of the Criminal Code, the der guess law, indicated an intention to destroy the constitutional monarchy.
Today’s complaint submission was led by Phattarapong Supakson, a solicitor, who spoke of why the MFP supporters believe the EC had committed malfeasance, prohibited under Part 157 of the Criminal Code.
Mr Phattarapong said it is the EC’s responsibility to ensure the MFP’s scheme on the stability guess law is genuine and legal after the policy was submitted to the EC upon the party’s registration for the last common election.
According to the prosecutor, now that the EC is asking the judge to dissolve the MFP, the EC should also be held accountable for its alleged failing to thoroughly examine the MFP’s der majeste law policy and accept it at the beginning.
The EC’s alleged failure to perform its duty could be seen as malfeasance, Mr Phattarapong said.
Along with the Jan 31 ruling, the court also ordered the MFP to cease all attempts to rewrite Section 112.
After the EC had submitted its MFP dissolution petition to the court earlier this week, the court then later asked the EC to submit additional documents for their consideration in support of the submitted petition.
The EC has said it is doing as instructed by the court and is providing the requested documents.
The court said in a statement it would n’t begin examining the MFP dissolution petition until all the necessary documents pertaining to the case had been received from the EC.
EC secretary- general Sawang Boonmee has said the additional documents in question were those that had been submitted by political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana along with his petition that called on the EC to disband the MFP.
Mr Ruangkrai yesterday said he had already been contacted by the EC regarding the required documents and has already sent them to the EC as requested.