Blue Senators File Ethics Complaint Against Election Commissioner
Blue-wing senators plan to file an ethics complaint with the National Anti‑Corruption Commission against Election Commissioner Sithichai Inthawiwat for allegedly leaking confidential details from the Senate appointment case. They say his press interview revealed vote tallies, deliberations, and identified minority commissioners, potentially breaching confidentiality and impartiality rules. The complaint cites judicial ethics standards and asks the NACC to investigate whether the disclosures constitute a serious violation.
The senators say that on September 14, 2026, the Election Commission met and voted on the Senate appointment case, a matter that has attracted many complainants and public attention. On September 15, Sithichai Inthawiwat, as a minority commissioner, gave a press interview revealing detailed voting tallies by group, such as 5‑to‑2 and 6‑to‑1, and noted that he and Chai Nakchon were on the minority side. He also discussed the reasoning and weighing of evidence, including links to political parties, phone‑call records, witness testimony, forensic evidence, witness recantations, and the alleged termination of some financial‑trail investigations by the Department of Special Investigation. The complaint further notes that on September 30, Sithichai participated in a seminar of the Royal Institute where he referenced Election Commission documents showing a 4‑to‑3 vote to reject the case and financial‑trail evidence from the DSI, claiming the DSI had sent a money‑laundering evidence letter that the majority of the Election Commission refused to accept. Although the Election Commission may have had a prior agreement to disclose the number of votes per allegation, the senators argue that Sithichai’s interview went beyond that, naming the minority commissioners, explaining the voting rationale, and providing deep analysis of the evidence. They contend that this could undermine trust in the commission’s impartiality, breach confidentiality, and harm the fairness toward those implicated, especially as the case may still be linked to deliberations in the Supreme Court, criminal proceedings, or other agency investigations. The complaint invokes the judicial ethics standards for constitutional court judges and independent‑office holders (2018), asking the NACC to examine whether Sithichai violated articles 13‑16 concerning justice, confidentiality, accurate information provision, and public comment on matters under consideration, with article 27 treating such violations as serious offenses that could lead to a referral to the Supreme Court if proven.
