The Secretariat of the Senate has assigned an ethics committee to probe whether a senator had abused his power to help his alleged mistress, a police corporal accused of abusing her maid, get a state job.
According to a press statement issued by the secretariat on Thursday, Senate Speaker Pornpetch Wichitcholchai assigned the panel to look into the matter.
It followed a petition submitted by former Democrat member of parliament Watchara Phetthong on Monday seeking a formal investigation to identify who the senator is and determine whether he may have committed any wrongdoing.
The senator allegedly abused his power to grant his alleged mistress a job in the police force and the victim in the military before she was hired as a maid.
According to media reports, Pol Cpl Kornsasi Buayaem, 43, is the mistress of the senator.
Sen Wallop Tangkananurak, a member of the Senate ethics panel, said the probe is expected to finish within 60 days.
"The committee will try to expedite the investigation into the allegations," he said.
Initially, the committee must find whether the accused police officer had any position in the Senate, he said.
If this is the case, the committee will summon those involved for questioning, he added.
"If the committee finds any senator involved ... it will forward the matter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission to take legal action," he said.
Meanwhile, Gen Kongcheep Tantravanich, spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, said relevant agencies found the police corporal's name under the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc)'s region 4 Forward Command despite her performing her duties in Ratchaburi, a province outside of region 4.
He said Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will not protect those found to have committed offences.
The Royal Thai Army, police and Isoc are working to investigate Isoc's recruitment process.
Meanwhile in Phetchaburi, a man said to be Pol Cpl Kornsasi's boyfriend turned himself in to police in Cha-am district of this Central Plains province on Thursday.
Khomsit Jangphanit, younger brother of the Photharam municipal mayor in the province, was accompanied by a lawyer at the Cha-am police station, where he acknowledged a charge of colluding in physical abuse in Pol Cpl Kornsasi's case.
Mr Khomsit was implicated by a woman, a former soldier who worked as a maid for his girlfriend, Pol Cpl Kornsasi.
The victim has accused her of illegal detention and abuse.
