Khon kaen: The Election Commission has dismissed the appeal of Dr. Premsak Piayura, who was previously convicted in a case involving the coercion of a journalist to undress. The Commission stated that the penalty of confinement and detention at a police station for one day does not qualify as detention by a court order, which would disqualify him from applying for a Senate position.

According to Thai News Agency, the Election Commission’s website published its decision, which rejected the case against Dr. Premsak, a Senator accused of applying for senatorial election despite being ineligible due to a past conviction. He was previously sentenced by the Khon Kaen Provincial Court and the Court of Appeal to imprisonment and had been detained by a court order. He was alleged to have been imprisoned and released less than ten years prior to the election date, a prohibited characteristic for Senate applicants under the Organic Act on the Acquisition of Senators B.E. 2561, Sections 14 (8) and (9) and Section 74.

The Commission’s dismissal was based on findings from an investigation aligned with the Supreme Court’s ruling No. 3228/2563, dated July 9, 2020. This ruling found Dr. Premsak guilty of obscenity and an offense against liberty, resulting in a two-month prison sentence. The Court of Appeal later upheld this decision. Dr. Premsak’s appeal resulted in the Supreme Court recognizing his compensation to the injured party as a mitigating factor, reducing his prison sentence to a two-month confinement per Section 23 of the Criminal Code. The one-day detention at the police station was not deemed as court-ordered detention, and therefore, Dr. Premsak’s actions were not found in violation of the Organic Act on the Acquisition of Senators 2018.

Additionally, Dr. Premsak faced charges in 2016 for forcing and threatening a journalist to undress while serving as the mayor of Ban Phai Municipality in Khon Kaen Province. Following his senatorial appointment, the Good Governance Group requested an investigation into the ethics of the case.