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Published on February 26, 2008

The Election Com-mission will today rule on the electoral fraud allegation against House Speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat.

EC commissioner Prapan Naikowit said there was enough evidence to issue a ruling and there was no need to question any more witness. He said the EC would rule in a straightforward manner and would not take political aspects of the case into consideration.

If the EC decides to disqualify Yongyuth, it has to seek a final decision from the Supreme Court. It will have to also probe further to see if there are grounds to dissolve the People Power Party, since Yongyuth is a deputy leader. Under the law, the party is held accountable for an electoral offence committed by party executives.

Election Commission member Sumeth Upanisakorn said he had received the report on Yongyuth's electoral-fraud case from the EC investigative panel headed by Suwit Theerapong.

According to Article 8 of the Constitution, the five election commissioners can reach a verdict on this case with a majority decision of three votes, and not a minimum of four as required in some cases, because Yongyuth has already been endorsed as MP.

Another EC panel investigating a complaint for allegedly defaming the Army will wrap up its probe soon, panel chief Thawil Intornraksa said.

He said Yongyuth did not show up to testify to the panel.

"He asked in a letter to postpone giving testimony, saying he was not sure in which status he was to testify, as witness or a defendant,'' Thawil said.

Thaworn Senniam, interior minister in the Democrat Party's shadow cabinet, said he had received a complaint that two witnesses in the Yongyuth case, Kamnan Chaiwat Changkhaokam and his son, were intimidated after security officials who were to provide them protection were withdrawn.

At the same time, Colonel Thanat Panya, a Chiang Rai deputy governor overseeing military affairs, was instructed to stop carrying out his duties.

Thaworn said Thanat was chief investigator into the charges against Yongyuth, and that all officials involved in the case were threatened not to carry out their duty.

"I hope the EC, which is making a decision today, takes into consideration the intimidation of witnesses,'' he said.

The Nation