Ex-Democrat MP Calls for EC Probe Into Bhumjaithai Donation
Ex-Democrat MP Sirichok Sopha has asked the Election Commission to investigate a 150,000-baht donation to the Bhumjaithai Party from MP Suchada Sang Tantap, citing a large gap between her declared wealth and reported income. He warned that if the money comes from an illegal source, the party could face dissolution. Suchada’s assets include a luxury condo and a Mercedes‑Maybach, while her husband is linked to cryptocurrency and an online gambling site.
Sirichok Sopha, former Democrat Party MP for Songkhla, called on the Election Commission to scrutinize the financial trail of a 150,000-baht contribution given to the Bhumjaithai Party by MP Suchada Sang Tantap, known publicly as Idear. He noted that the donation was officially recorded as a series of monthly payments—starting at 10,000 baht before she took office and later increased to 30,000 baht after she entered parliament—amounting to the disclosed total of 150,000 baht.
He pointed out that Suchada’s declared assets far exceed her reported earnings. She and her husband, Ti Yang Zhang, have declared ownership of a luxury condominium in the Lang Suan-Lumphini area valued at 75 million baht and a Mercedes‑Maybach worth 11.3 million baht, yet her annual income is listed at only about 1.7 million baht. Ti Yang states he has no occupation and no annual income, despite being identified as a cryptocurrency investor and a shareholder in the online gambling site Shuffle.com.
Suchada is not a political newcomer; before becoming an MP she served as an assistant secretary and secretary to ministers in three different Bhumjaithai‑led governments. Sirichok questioned what expertise or achievements earned her repeated appointments and who nominated her each time.
He added that the 150,000-baht figure reflects only the donations formally disclosed to the Election Commission; other forms of support may not be included.
Sirichok cited the Political Parties Act, B.E. 2560, noting that Sections 72 and 74 prohibit parties from accepting donations known or suspected to be from illegal sources, or from foreigners and certain entities used to channel prohibited funds. Section 77 assigns the Election Commission the duty to verify the legitimacy of political donations, while Section 92(3) states that a party proven to have violated those provisions may be dissolved by the Constitutional Court.
He argued that merely possessing large assets or having a spouse involved in online gambling does not prove the donation money is illicit, but the stark mismatch between income and wealth warrants a deeper investigation into the origin of the funds. Sirichok said the National Anti‑Corruption Commission is already conducting a detailed inquiry into the family’s assets, income, and debt‑servicing ability, and that the same scrutiny should apply to the party’s donation finances.
