Election Fraud Ring Exposed With New Financial Trail Evidence
An election fraud ring involving vote-buying and ghost candidates has been exposed through financial trails in multiple Thai provinces, with evidence linking payments to political figures including a senator and MP.
On July 28, Prisheet Wachrasindhul, a People's Party list MP and deputy party leader, posted on Facebook describing the alleged election fraud operation as extending beyond merely coordinating candidates to exchange votes systematically. The scheme, he stated, also involves hiring people to run as candidates to cast votes for actual candidates locked in by the network through ghost candidacies. He emphasized that financial trails are the strongest evidence of such behavior, though they are difficult to trace because most payments are made in cash, as confirmed by witnesses from Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phuket, and other provinces.
Priveet disclosed that he has obtained financial evidence from at least two provinces. The first involves evidence from Surat Thani linked to Subin Saktda, whose financial transfers were previously revealed by iLaw. Those transfers, connected to MP Pichai Chomphuphol of Bhumjaithai Party, showed money flowing from Subin to ten provincial council candidates totaling 32,000 baht on June 15-16, 2567, just one day before the provincial-level election.
The second financial trail originates from Nong Bua Lamphu, linked to senator Sarachai Wichayasuwan, who currently serves as Nong Bua Lamphu senator from Group 13 after receiving the highest group votes in the national election. A witness from Nong Bua Lamphu, Sunanchai Chuay Udonthanakij, previously testified that he participated in the scheme to establish and hire candidates run by Sarachai, and that he overheard Sarachai reporting to Deputy Prime Minister Thongsak Thongsri, then Minister of Interior, regarding the recruited candidates.
Priveet confirmed that the newly disclosed financial evidence aligns with witness testimony. The records show transfers from Sarachai to Phannipha Phasu, identified by multiple witnesses as Sarachai's secretary, totaling 553,600 baht—51,300 baht from one bank and 502,300 baht from another. Additionally, transfers from Phannipha to seven Nong Bua Lamphu provincial council candidates between May and August 2567 totaled 105,000 baht, distributed as follows: Thanyarat Suwan (36,000 baht), Sumalai Songsaengrit (3,000 baht), Sunanchai Chuay Udonthanakij (1,000 baht), Piyalak Silladaeng (15,000 baht), Somphar Sukuan (40,000 baht), Somsak Bundee (5,000 baht), and Samrit Kongan.
