Phuket president cleared of vote-buying

PHUKET CITY: Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO) President Paiboon Upatising has been cleared of vote-buying following an Appeals Court ruling earlier today.

Mr Paiboon said he would return to work ‘immediately’ following the ruling by the Region 8 Court of Appeals in Bangkok.

The verdict overturned a ‘yellow card’ ruling by the Election Commission (EC) in Bangkok, which found there was sufficient evidence presented against Mr Paiboon and Pa Khlok PPAO Thalang District 3 representative Sawat Muchawej to indicate that their election wins were aided by electoral fraud.

For the previous report of the charges click here.

The Appeals Court also overturned the ruling against Mr Sawat.

Mr Paiboon said all along that he was unworried by the ruling because he knew he was not guilty of the charges.

The court mentioned inconsistencies in the testimonies of different prosecution witnesses when announcing its verdict, he said.

A hero’s welcome is expected upon Mr Paiboon’s return at Phuket International Airport tomorrow.

“They will be a lot of people there to welcome me back as PPAO president once again. After that, I will drive straight back to the PPAO offices and begin work immediately. There is a lot of work waiting for me,” he said.

Mr Paiboon said he resented losing four months of work due to people he referred to as ‘slanderers’, but said he would do his best to deliver on his campaign promises during the remaining three years of his four-year term.

— Khunakorn Terdkiatkhachorn