Activist Srisuwan Janya has asked the Election Commission if the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) should be disbanded for accepting a 3-million-baht donation from a Chinese businessman believed to have received Thai citizenship shortly afterwards.
In a complaint filed on Friday, he asked the commission if the donation was legal and, if not, whether the EC could ask the Constitutional Court to disband the PPRP.
He said in his complaint that PPRP chief strategist Somsak Thepsutin had confirmed the party accepted a 3-million-baht donation from a Chinese businessman last year.
Mr Srisuwan said the law prohibits parties from receiving donations from foreigners or foreign juristic entities. Political parties and their executives were also not allowed to received money or benefits that were or might be illegally acquired, he said.
If any political party violated that provision, the EC could ask the Constitutional Court to disband it, Mr Srisuwan said.
On Thursday Mr Somsak, who is also the justice minister, confirmed that the PPRP received a 3-million-baht donation from Chaiyanat Kornchayanan and said the party did not have enough time to investigate in depth the backgrounds of its donors.
Asked for comment on the possibility the donor received Thai nationality and set up a business here after making the donation, Mr Somsak said the donation was made legally and PPRP did not look into the source of the money.
Asked if the donor had a special connection with the PPRP, Mr Somsak said PPRP members had said they were not close to the donor. If there was any close connection, PPRP would certainly be disbanded, he said.
“He may have faith in the policies of PPRP, so he made a donation. Many people donate to the party and it has not found any irregularities in those donations,” Mr Somsak said.
Mr Chaiyanat is allegedly linked to the pub in Yannawa district that was raided on Tuesday night. According to police, the pub had no licence and dozens of clients tested positive for drugs.
Nipit Intarasombat, deputy leader of the Sang Anakhot Thai Party, wrote on Facebook that the issue has raised a number of troubling questions for the ruling party.
He said it must be established if Mr Chaiyanat had dual nationality when he made the donation. If he had dual citizenship at tha time, the PPRP could be held in violation of the Section 74 of the organic law on political parties.
The section prohibits political parties from receiving donations or benefits from foreigners, foreign juristic entities or locally registered entities with a foreign major shareholder. The offence can lead to the party dissolution.
Mr Somsak insisted that none of the party members had personal connections with Mr Chaiyanat.
