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 have received Thai citizenship shortly afterwards.
Mr Srisuwan filed his complaint at the Office of the Election Commission (EC) 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 PPRP 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 Chainat 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.
