Opposition Probes Senator's Conflicting Business History
Opposition parties scrutinized a senator's inconsistent business history, finding his claimed 12-year noodle-shop ownership contradicted records showing the shop changed concepts multiple times since 2015. Investigators also flagged nepotis
On August 9 at Parliament, the opposition parties' coordination committee, led by Prit Watcharasindhoo, held a session scrutinizing evidence in a Senate corruption case involving four senators and financial irregularities. Yiangcheep Atcharnnon, director of the Internet Law Project, presented findings showing Senator Sompaan Plaisak of Amnat Charoen claimed a 12-year history selling chicken-green mango noodles, but investigation revealed his noodle shop had been a fitness center, then changed to fish noodles, and later duck noodles—with the business operating only since 2015, less than ten years. Yiangcheep questioned whether Sompaan truly owned the business and met the ten-year experience requirement, noting the shop owner, Siripol Ruengboon, a local councilor, appeared in photos with a Bhumjaithai Party MP. He also revealed that multiple senators appointed close relatives and associates as aides across party lines—Sompaan appointed his son Nathpong as aide to another senator, and appointed Saiw Chammanon as an expert despite sharing the same surname—and called for public scrutiny of similar patterns across other provinces.
