BANGKOK, 23 August 2011 – The Election Commission (EC) has issued a red card against former Deputy Interior Minister Boonjong Wongtrairat for electoral fraud during a by-election last year. The Supreme Court is set to rule whether to give him a five-year ban from politics.
The EC today called a meeting to deliberate a complaint over Mr Boonjong’s violation of the electoral law during the previous government when he was a candidate in the MP by-election on 12 December 2010. The then-Deputy Interior Minister is alleged of arranging a festivity at a resort in Rayong province ahead of the by-election as a way to gain more support from eligible voters.
During the meeting, the EC also reviewed the Constitutional Court’s ruling which earlier deprived Mr Boonjong of his MP status due to his illegal possession of shares while in office, prompting a need for the December by-election.
As a result, upon a majority vote, the EC deemed the former minister guilty as alleged and resolved to give him a red card. The matter will later be forwarded to the Supreme Court for consideration and if the Court’s verdict was in agreement with that of the EC, Mr Boonjong could face a political ban for five years, which would cause him to lose his current title as a Bhumjaithai MP for Nakhon Ratchasima.
