The House committee on corruption has been urged to investigate a plot allegedly owned by the mother of opposition Future Forward Party (FFP) leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.
MPs posed questions during a House meeting on Wednesday about the legitimacy of ownership of about 500 rai of land, believed to be in a community forest in Ratchaburi's Chom Bung district, held by Somporn Juangroongruangkit.
Rangsikon Thimatrukka, a Bhumjaithai Party MP for Buri Ram, said the land is next to 1,700 rai of land allegedly encroached on by Pareena Kraikupt, a ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MP for Ratchaburi, and her father, Thawee Kraikupt. Ms Pareena is also member of the committee on corruption.
Ms Pareena first put the Somporn land issue to the committee in November last year. She said she was acting on complaints from local people.
Mr Rangsikon raised the Somporn land issue at the committee meeting on Wednesday in which Veera Somkwamkid, secretary-general of the People's Network Against Corruption, was invited to testify about his investigation into the 1,700 rai land of the Kraikupts. According to Mr Rangsikon, if the committee was pressing ahead with the probe into the Kraikupt land, it should do the same with Ms Somporn.
Ms Pareena seconded Mr Rangsikon's call for the committee to investigate how Ms Somporn came to possess the land.
Mr Rangsikon said he was told by a Royal Forest Department official who previously came to testify before the committee in Ms Pareena's land case that the 500 rai next to Ms Pareena's was actually owned by Mr Thanathorn's mother.
PPRP MP for Bangkok Sira Chenchakha asked Mr Veera why he had not looked into the ownership of the 500 rai as well or whether his intention was to single out Ms Pareena. Mr Veera insisted he was not hired by anyone to do this job.
Pol Gen Sereepisuth Temeeyaves, head of the committee, on Wednesday assigned Ms Pareena to compile more information about the 500 rai allegedly owned by Ms Somporn and report back to the committee. But Ms Pareena later held a press conference where she accused Pol Gen Sereepisuth of preventing her from carrying out an investigation earlier.