The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has halted its investigation into the Democrat Party over two controversial donation cases, a DSI source said yesterday.
The decision was made by DSI director-general Chatchawal Suksomjit after a discussion with two senior Democrat Party legal experts who met him yesterday to petition against the department's probes which were ordered by former DSI chief Tarit Pengdith.
The two Democrats — Watchara Phetthong and Rames Rattanachaweng — told reporters after the meeting they had appealed to Pol Gen Chatchawal to look into the matter.
Mr Watchara claimed Mr Tarit, while serving as the DSI boss, had intimidated the Democrat members by initiating an investigation against them for donating money to the Democrat Party.
A total of 44 Democrat MPs had authorised the secretariat of the House of Representatives to deduct 20,000 baht from their monthly salaries and transfer it to the party's account.
The DSI had said the donations violated sections 57 and 71 of the Political Party Act, regarding donations to political parties and launched an investigation against the party.
However, in July last year, the Election Commission (EC), which had also launched its own investigation into the case, stopped its probe, saying that the MPs' donations to the party did not violate the law and the House of Representatives' secretariat had merely acted as a facilitator in helping transfer the MPs' money to the party.
Mr Watchara said the DSI would also suspend an investigation into the Democrat Party for receiving one million baht in donations from East Water Group in 2010 to help the party's flood-relief operation.
The EC stopped its inquiry into the case in June last year, after its then chairman Apichart Sukhagganond found the party did not intend to commit wrongdoing as the money was intended for flood-hit people.