The House of Representatives' committee on industries has found grounds to a bribery accusation made by a former Move Forward Party (MFP) MP against an assistant of an MFP lawmaker and will investigate the matter further.
The bribery allegation was made by Wutthiphong Thonglour, an MFP MP for Prachin Buri who was expelled from the party over a sexual harassment allegation, against an assistant of Bencha Saengchantra, an MFP list-MP.
According to Mr Wutthiphong, he was forced out of the party after he accused Ms Bencha's assistant of demanding bribes from the operator of a landfill in Prachin Buri.
The House panel looked into the claim.
Speaking on Wednesday after a meeting of the House committee in which various parties were invited for questioning, Akaradej Wongpitakroj, a United Thai Nation Party (UTN) MP for Ratchaburi speaking in his capacity as panel chairman, said the MFP had failed to disprove Mr Wutthiphong's allegation.
Mr Wutthiphong and Ms Bencha attended the meeting, while Chaithawat Tulathon, the MFP leader, had Jirat Thongsuwan, an MFP MP for Chachoengsao, meet the committee on his behalf.
The MFP has asked instead to submit a written statement about the allegation, said Mr Akaradej. "At this point, a link has been established but it remains inconclusive whether the landfill bribery exists," he said.
Among the various irregularities identified at the meeting were the unusual prices of land already bought and used for the landfill, many more plots of land purchased by the same operator and certain actions by the accused assistant, he said.