Democrat MP gets 2 years in prison for vote buying

Both Democrat MP Thepthai Senpong and his brother have been sentenced to 2 years in prison for election fraud. If the verdict is upheld by a higher court, Thepthai would be banned from politics for the next decade.

The Court found Thepthai and his brother Manote guilty of vote buying. Thai PBS says the illegal bribes took place at a party for voters prior to a mayoral election in Nakhon Si Thammarat back in 2014. Thepthai represents Nakhon Si Thammarat.

An election watchdog organisation said vote buying was “rampant” during the 2019 general election and even took photos of piles of 100 baht bank notes allegedly used for vote buying. Many parties resorted to so-called “money politics” to bribe voters, an executive from the Open Forum for Democracy Foundation, known as P-Net, told the Bangkok Post.

SOURCES: Thai PBS | Bangkok Post