13-6-2023 (BANGKOK) Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s aspiration to become the prime minister of Thailand took a significant step forward on Monday. The chairman of a recent meeting of iTV shareholders revealed that the media company is currently non-operational due to an ongoing legal case. This development could potentially spare Mr. Pita from legal complications that may result in his disqualification as a Member of Parliament (MP), provided it is proven that iTV has indeed ceased operations.
iTV came under renewed scrutiny when video footage captured during the annual shareholders’ meeting on April 26 contradicted the official meeting minutes. Clips from the footage, recorded by a shareholder, were broadcast on TV Channel 3 late on Sunday night.
In the video, a shareholder raised a question, asking, “Does iTV still engage in media businesses?” In response, Executive Director Kim Siritaweechai, who chaired the meeting, stated, “As of now, the firm doesn’t do anything. It has to wait for a legal case to end.”
Controversy has surrounded alleged attempts to “revive” iTV in order to impede Mr. Pita’s bid for the prime minister position, given his shareholding in the media company.
Ittiporn Boonpracong, Chairman of the Election Commission (EC), announced on Monday that the commission is already investigating whether Mr. Pita violated Section 151 of the organic law on the election of MPs. The EC dismissed all complaints related to media share ownership against the MFP leader on Friday but will now focus on determining whether Mr. Pita knowingly applied to be a list-MP candidate despite potentially being ineligible. Such an action would be considered a violation of Section 42(3) and Section 151 of the organic law on the election of MPs.
If found guilty, Mr. Pita could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years, along with a fine ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 baht, and a ban from participating in elections for a maximum of 20 years.
On Sunday, a source revealed that the EC has already dismissed four recent petitions, along with a request to dissolve the MFP, deeming them groundless. Meanwhile, the MFP-led eight-party coalition is in the process of forming a new government.
Mr. Kim, who is also the president and executive director of Intouch Holdings Plc, a majority shareholder in iTV, has ordered an investigation into the minutes of the shareholders’ meeting. MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon expressed suspicions that the minutes may have been falsified and called for iTV executives to provide a clarification. He also noted efforts to obstruct the MFP’s government formation bid.
MFP MP-elect Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, writing on Facebook, emphasized the need for iTV to address the matter and reconcile the discrepancy between the minutes and the chairman’s response during the meeting. He questioned whether this amounted to political persecution through the falsification of meeting minutes and called for those responsible to face criminal charges.
Last week, Mr. Pita stated that he had transferred the 42,000 shares he inherited from his late father in 2006 to relatives, preempting any attempt to exploit them for political purposes. He expressed confidence that there is no basis for his disqualification as an MP or his eligibility to assume the role of prime minister in a coalition government.
In its 2018-19 financial statement, iTV was categorized as a holding company, but subsequent financial statements labeled it as a TV organization. iTV ceased broadcasting in 2007, and its license was subsequently taken over by Thai PBS. Although the company was delisted from the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2014, its business registration remains active due to an ongoing legal dispute with the government concerning unpaid concession fees.
