Thailand’s Supreme Court has sentenced former Pheu Thai Party MP Saranwut Saranket to eight months in prison for allowing another MP to use his electronic voting device during a parliamentary vote.
The court found Saranwut guilty in a case involving the use of another parliamentarian’s voting equipment, which is prohibited under parliamentary rules.
The case dates back to his time as a member of the House of Representatives, when lawmakers were using electronic voting systems to record their votes during parliamentary sessions.
Saranwut was accused of allowing another MP to use his device to cast a vote in his name. The incident became the subject of legal proceedings after authorities investigated whether the action violated rules governing parliamentary voting.
The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the case and imposed an eight-month prison sentence.
The ruling highlights the legal consequences that lawmakers can face for allowing another person to cast a parliamentary vote on their behalf.
Electronic voting is used in Thailand’s parliament to record individual votes on legislation and other motions. Each lawmaker is expected to use their own voting device, ensuring that the recorded vote corresponds to the member present in the chamber.
The case also illustrates the importance of parliamentary procedures in establishing who participated in a vote and how individual votes were recorded.
Saranwut previously served as a Pheu Thai MP and was involved in parliamentary affairs before leaving elected office.
The Supreme Court’s ruling brings the long-running case to a conclusion, although the former lawmaker remains subject to the sentence imposed by the court.
Leave a Reply