BANGKOK, Feb 21 (TNA) – Thailand’s Constitutional Court has
ruled to dissolve Future Forward Party (FFP) over the illegal 191-million-baht
loan by its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
Constitutional Court judges on Friday delivered the ruling
that also bans FFP executives from politics for 10 years for accepting the loan
from Thanathorn.
The controversial loan first came to light by Thanathorn
himself when he told a session at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of
Thailand.
In December, the Election Commission (EC) submitted a
request to the court to disband the FFP for accepting Thanathorn’s money to
finance its election campaign, thus, allowing him to dominate the party.
The court on Friday said it found that the FFP violated
Section 72 of the organic law on political parties that prohibits parties and
its executives from accepting cash donations, assets or other benefits from an
illegitimate source.
By taking loan, the FFP also breached Section 62 which lists
sources of income of political parties; allowing fundraising, donations and
others but not loans.
The court also elaborated on Section 66 of the law that
prohibits any individual from donating money or assets to parties in excess of
10 million baht within a period of one year.
None of the FFP members were present at the courtroom. A large crowd of supporters and party
executives followed the televised verdict reading at the party’s headquarters
in the Thai Summit Building, which belongs to Thanathorn’s family.
The FFP executives’ MP status are also stripped while
non-executive MPs must now join new parties within 30 days.
Legal experts say the loan was a hidden transaction in
violation of the law on political parties intended to prevent domination by any
individual. Political parties must not
seek donations of more than 10 million baht by signing a loan contract to avoid
the rule, they said.
Last month, the FFP was acquitted in another case seeking to
disband the party. The Constitutional Court rejected an
allegation that the party’s senior figures undermined the monarchy.(TNA)
