Thailand’s anti-corruption body opens new probe into embattled Move Forward party

Thailand’s anti-corruption body on Friday said it was investigating 44 members of the disbanded Move Forward party, following a complaint seeking their lifetime bans from politics for backing legislation aimed at amending a law against royal insults.

It comes less than a month after a court ordered the dissolution of the popular Move Forward, the surprise winners of last year’s election, over its campaign pledge to amend the law, which shields the powerful crown from criticism.

Among the 44 under investigation are 25 current lawmakers of the People’s Party, Move Forward’s latest incarnation and the largest party in parliament.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission, which has a broad remit that goes beyond corruption, said no charges had yet been filed and not all 44 would be summoned.

“We have started calling relevant individuals to hear the facts,” its deputy secretary general Sarote Phuengrampan told Reuters.

“This step is to collect evidence, but no one has been charged yet.”

Under its procedures, if the panel finds sufficient evidence of unethical behaviour, it would then charge people, who can present a defence before a decision is taken on whether to prosecute them in court.

If the Supreme Court finds they committed the offence, they could be banned from politics for life, the same fate suffered last year by a Move Forward politician who made social media posts that were deemed disrespectful to the monarchy.

03:02

Thailand’s reformist Move Forward political party dissolved under lèse-majesté law

The latest case was brought by conservative activists in February, two days after the Constitutional Court ordered Move Forward to drop its campaign to change the lèse-majesté law.

Move Forward’s anti-establishment policies