Nonthaburi police arrest campaign leader for vote-buying in election
Election integrity questioned as bribery scheme unfolds
Police in Nonthaburi apprehended a 25 year old campaign leader accused of vote-buying during the municipal mayoral election. Found with voter lists, he admitted to distributing cash to voters, keeping a portion for personal expenses.
Yesterday, May 11, police, alongside the Nonthaburi Election Commission, arrested Chakrit. He was caught driving a red Toyota Yaris and was found in possession of two e-cigarettes, two refill bottles, 1,200 baht (US$35), a list of 92 voters, and a mobile phone.
The arrest took place in Soi Prasert Islam, Bang Talat subdistrict, Pak Kret district, Nonthaburi province. Chakrit confessed to compiling the voter list for a mayoral candidate in Nonthaburi. He claimed he intended to distribute 350 baht (US$10) per voter but kept 50 baht (US$1.5) as a handling fee.
The arrest coincided with the municipal mayoral and council elections in Nonthaburi on May 11. Police and the Election Commission were monitoring election law violations when they noticed Chakrit’s suspicious vehicle speeding out of a side street.
Despite police efforts to stop him, he attempted to flee, prompting a chase that ended with officers intercepting his car and conducting a search.
Inside the vehicle, e-cigarettes and refills were discovered, leading to Chakrit’s detention for questioning at the Nonthaburi provincial police investigation division. Upon searching his mobile phone, police found images of voter lists, cash, and incriminating messages related to the vote-buying scheme on the LINE messaging app.
Chakrit admitted to receiving funds from a Nonthaburi mayoral candidate to distribute to voters, having almost completed the task before his arrest for possession of e-cigarettes. This led to further investigation into the vote-buying allegations, reported KhaoSod.
After gathering evidence, Chakrit was handed over to Pak Kret police for prosecution concerning the possession of e-cigarettes. The Election Commission will continue to investigate the vote-buying incident to pursue legal action against those involved.
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