Thai Transport Minister accused of illegally holding shares in partnership company

Move Forward Party (MFP) MP Pakornwut Udompipat accused the current Minister of Transport of violating the constitution by holding shares in a partnership company.

The accusation was first brought into the public domain in the censure debate on July 19 of last year. Pakornwut presented his information stating that Saksayam Chidchop, from the Bhumjaithai Party, concealed his shares, in Buri Charoen Construction, from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

Pakornwut accused the transport minister of transferring the shares to a nominee only 23 days before taking a ministerial position. However, he manipulated the nominee and managed the company and provided special advantages during government construction project bids.

Saksayam denied these allegations, asserting that he had no involvement with the company even before taking up the ministerial position in 2019. He added that he had the documents to prove his innocence.

The matter was forwarded to the Constitution Court, which subsequently led to Saksayam being suspended from his ministerial duties on March 3 of this year. This suspension was a result of the accusation that he violated Section 170(5) of the constitution, which prohibits ministers from holding shares in partnership or limited companies.

Pakornwut yesterday held a press conference to reveal his evidence on the accusation. He said that he reviewed evidence from Saksayam’s documents and found several suspicious elements. This prompted him to address the media and submit additional accusations to the NACC.

Pakornwut emphasised that his statement was only an accusation and anticipation of what he discovered in the documents. The responsibility to prove these accusations lies with the NACC.

In response to these developments, Saksayam engaged with the media, expressing his confidence in proving his innocence. The transport minister maintained that he had completely disassociated himself from the company well before taking on a ministerial role. Furthermore, his legal team has been diligently gathering evidence to present their case and clarify the matter in a media briefing scheduled for today, July 26.

Saksayam speculated that the timing of Pakornwut and MFP’s recent press conference may be linked to the political landscape, with the Bhumjaithai Party, the second runner-up, potentially being poised to take the lead in the formation of a new Thai government.