Supreme Court Strips Ekarat Changlea of Voting Rights for 10 Years in 396-Million-Baht Teachers' Cooperative Embezzlement Case
Former MP Ekarat Changlea lost voting rights for a decade after Thailand's Supreme Court found him guilty of embezzling 396 million baht from a teachers' cooperative in Khon Kaen between 2011 and 2019, including forging financial records to
The Supreme Court issued its ruling on May 26 in case number NACC 1/2568, between the National Anti-Corruption Commission and defendant Ekarat Changlea, a former member of parliament. The NACC alleged that Changlea, while serving as manager of the Khon Kaen Teachers' Savings Cooperative, exploited his position to embezzle funds and forge financial documents to mislead the cooperative's membership.
The court found that between 2011 and 2019, Changlea and associates withdrew 396 million baht from the cooperative on August 16, 2011, transferred it to personal accounts, and used 106 million baht to purchase five parcels of land totaling 6 rai, 2 ngan, and 34.9 square wa, registered in Changlea's name alone. Three parcels were mortgaged back to the cooperative as security for an affiliated company's debt—an illegal and fraudulent act. The remaining 290 million baht difference disappeared, constituting embezzlement that harmed the cooperative and its members.
Moreover, from 2011 to 2019, Changlea and associates falsified the cooperative's deposit ledgers. From 2013 to 2019, they showed members a balance of approximately 400 million baht at annual meetings when the actual balance was only 70,000 baht. The final false entry on August 4, 2019, claimed a balance of 431,941,984.59 baht when only 79,774.16 baht remained. The ledgers were only returned in October 2019 after new ethical standards for independent agency officials took effect.
Based on evidence of embezzlement, document forgery, and use of forged documents, the Supreme Court concluded that Changlea violated principles of rule of law and ethical standards, causing damage to the dignity of his parliamentary position. Consequently, he is stripped of voting rights for 10 years.
