Anurak Tangpanitanon, a former Pheu Thai MP from Mukdahan province, has lost his appeal against a six-year jail sentence for seeking a 5-million-baht bribe while in office.
An appeal panel of the Supreme Court issued the ruling on Tuesday upholding the original decision by the court’s Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions.
Anurak was prosecuted for demanding the bribe from Sakda Wichiansilp, director-general of the Department of Groundwater Resources, in exchange for not cutting the department’s budget allocation when Anurak served on the House committee vetting the 2021 budget bill.
On April 25 last year, the court found Anurak guilty of violating the Criminal Code and the anti-corruption law. In addition to a six-year prison sentence, Anurak was stripped of his MP status. The court also banned him from running in elections or holding political positions for life and from voting for 10 years.
The appeal panel agreed by a majority vote that the investigation of the case by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) was conducted properly, according to a source.
The scandal came to light when Mr Sakda openly complained to the sub-committee reviewing his department’s budget, saying a member had demanded 5 million baht in exchange for not cutting it.
The NACC found grounds for the bribe claim and filed the case through the Office of the Attorney-General. The investigation report included testimony from 17 individuals and 10 documents, which was sufficient to establish the facts and determine the defendant’s culpability, the appeal panel concluded.
Anurak was taken to Bangkok Remand Prison after the ruling was issued on Tuesday.