DSI to Forward Election Commission Ruling on Senate Vote-Buying Case
The DSI will incorporate the Election Commission's ruling on Senate vote-buying allegations into its own investigation, with prosecutors deciding next whether to pursue charges against the defendants involved.
The Special Cases Investigation Bureau (DSI) spokesman said investigators into the Senate vote-buying and money-laundering case are preparing to contact the Election Commission immediately after it rules on the election fraud allegations. Regardless of the Election Commission's decision, the DSI has a duty to incorporate the findings into its own investigation, following orders from the special prosecutor.
On September 14, Deputy Police Colonel Warranan Sriluem, head of the consumer protection division and DSI spokesman, revealed that the Election Commission will announce its findings on the Senate election investigation probe at 3 p.m. today. The Election Commission held a meeting to decide on those involved in the Senate vote-buying scheme under electoral law.
This is one of the issues the special prosecutor directed the DSI, which is handling special investigation case 24/2568 on vote-buying and money-laundering in the Senate, to incorporate the Election Commission's findings into its investigation.
Therefore, regardless of how the Election Commission rules, the DSI will prepare a letter requesting information from the Election Commission to support its investigation as soon as possible, since the DSI investigation also involves witness testimony and evidence already gathered.
Deputy Police Colonel Warranan said the DSI must wait to see the facts and the Election Commission's ruling before deciding whether to prosecute defendants, send cases to the Electoral Division of the Supreme Court, or decline prosecution, and on what grounds.
Regarding a witness who shared evidentiary documents in the election fraud case and sent a letter to the Election Commission chairman claiming DSI officers threatened him to give false testimony in exchange for immunity, the DSI is investigating whether to file charges against the witness for perjury given the substantial differences between his first and second statements.
Waranan stated that since the witness submitted his letter to the Election Commission chairman and his case falls under electoral law jurisdiction—not the DSI's special investigation into Senate vote-buying and money-laundering—the DSI cannot respond to the Election Commission task force. Although DSI officers joined the Election Commission in investigating the witness, he remains outside the DSI's primary jurisdiction.
Deputy Police Colonel Warranan said regarding the witness's complaint of serious disciplinary violations against the DSI officer who allegedly threatened him, the DSI has not yet established a fact-finding committee or launched a serious disciplinary investigation against the officer in question.
Reporters learned from within the special investigation unit that regardless of whether the Election Commission refers all 229 people to the Electoral Division of the Supreme Court, refers no one, or refers only some, the DSI must incorporate the Election Commission's findings into all aspects of its own investigation. This does not guarantee that the Election Commission's ruling today will be 100 percent binding on the DSI's vote-buying and money-laundering case, as the DSI previously indicted eight suspects with the special prosecutor's office. However, the special prosecutor ordered the DSI to consolidate its investigation with the Election Commission's, causing the case to be returned and requiring the DSI to await the Election Commission's ruling.
The witness and evidence in the DSI investigation are currently...
