Bangkok: The Central Administrative Court has dismissed a lawsuit against the NBTC Chairman, Dr. Saran Boonbaichaipruk, for not initiating a disciplinary investigation against Trairat Viriyasirikul, the Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Secretary-General of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The case was brought by Air Chief Marshal Thanapan Haraijaroen and four other members of the NBTC board.

According to Thai News Agency, the court found that the NBTC board did not have the authority to order the establishment of a disciplinary committee against Mr. Trairat. The lawsuit stemmed from an NBTC meeting on June 9, 2023, where a resolution was passed to investigate Mr. Trairat for allegedly using 600,000,000 baht from the NBTC Fund to purchase broadcasting rights for the 2022 World Cup finals. This was deemed a potential dereliction of duty.

The court’s decision was based on the regulations of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission on Personnel Management B.E. 2565, which state that only the NBTC Secretary-General has the authority to initiate and appoint an investigation committee. The court clarified that the NBTC board, as a collective body, lacks the legal authority to instruct the NBTC Office to take disciplinary measures against any individual employee. The resolution passed at the NBTC’s 13/2566 meeting on June 9, 2566, exceeded the board’s lawful authority.

Furthermore, the court noted that since Mr. Trairat was acting as the NBTC Secretary-General at the time, it fell under the NBTC Chairman’s jurisdiction to handle the matter. The Chairman’s decision not to comply with the June 9 resolution was not considered a neglect of duty under the law, leading to the dismissal of the case.