DSI Seeks Election Commission Ruling on 77 Senate Election Cases

Following the Election Commission's decision on September 15, 2568, to refer 77 individuals to the Constitutional Court's election division for prosecution in the 2567 Senate election fraud case, the Department of Special Investigation's Special Case Investigation Team 24/2568 is preparing to request the Election Commission's formal ruling on all seven committee members' findings. The DSI seeks both the preliminary ruling announced on September 14 and the detailed final ruling, which the Election Commission must complete within 60 days. The detailed ruling will allow the DSI to file a comprehensive case report. The investigation team will then convene with prosecutors and the Office of the Special Prosecutor to discuss the commission's rationale and determine investigation priorities, particularly regarding how each committee member concluded that 77 suspects warrant prosecution, what specific conduct they identified, and which evidence supports those conclusions. The DSI will expand its investigation according to directions from the Special Prosecutor's Office, including consolidating eight initial suspects into a single case with other co-conspirators, gathering documentary evidence about account openings and financial transactions, and examining complaints of unfair treatment. The Special Prosecutor's Office views the case as involving a large organized group that planned systematically and coordinated with many individuals to unlawfully obtain Senate seats in violation of Thailand's Constitution. The conduct may constitute offering, promising, or preparing to give money or other benefits to encourage candidates to register, withdraw, or vote in particular ways, and the defendants allegedly divided responsibilities among themselves, which is why the DSI cannot yet conclude the case against the eight initial suspects for referral to the Special Prosecutor. Regarding the Election Commission chairman's claim that 427 individuals were actually accused rather than 229, the actual situation is that before the subcommittee's decision on 229 suspects, the Election Commission reviewed additional cases based on objections filed, bringing the total number of accused to 427, though the subcommittee examined evidence for only 229. Concerning the chairman's objection to the testimony of witness number 16, that issue involves admissibility concerns unrelated to the substantive investigation.