Reserve senators led by Police Lieutenant General Kamrob Panyakaew visited the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) headquarters on June 11, 2025, to monitor progress in investigating complaints regarding the 2024 Senate election vote-buying scandal.
Police Lieutenant General Kamrob stated that Investigation Committee No. 26 has already summoned senators to acknowledge charges and clarify facts. He expects that soon the committee will call in the final group of individuals involved in the network, with findings to be summarized and sent to the legal department next week for submission to the adjudication subcommittee. After consideration, the matter will be forwarded to all six ECT commissioners for a resolution to send the case to the Supreme Court's Election Division.
However, Kamrob expressed concern about "invisible hands and mouths" attempting to influence the process, including the vote-buying network sending bribes to the ECT. He urged the six commissioners—amid reports that two may resign—to remain steadfast against various pressures and use wisdom and courage to complete their investigation duties before making any decisions, as some commissioners' terms will expire in a few months. He emphasized that decisions should be based on facts: "white is white, black is black."
Reserve Senator Akkrawat Pongthanachitkul stated that reserve senators came to encourage ECT Chairman Ittiporn Boonprakong to stand firm in investigating the Senate vote-buying process using data from Investigation Committee No. 26, which is preparing to submit its findings to the ECT. He requested all six commissioners to perform their duties honestly and straightforwardly without fear of pressure or abandoning their principles.
Akkrawat revealed disturbing allegations of attempts to clear the case, stating: "There have been attempts to contact and request clearing this case to prevent punishment of the Senate vote-buying network, with offers of 5-10 million baht. However, civil servants who prioritize national interest have not agreed and stated that the process has gone too far and is about to conclude with bringing wrongdoers to justice. The total amount of bribes offered across all cases amounts to billions of baht."
He also criticized ECT Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee, alleging connections and interests with the current Senate group, noting that while the ECT had operated honestly for 27 years, problems arose during Sawaeng's three-year tenure as secretary-general, marked by delayed elections and inability to prosecute wrongdoers despite public awareness of corruption at all election levels.
Akkrawat called for Sawaeng to reconsider and stop interfering with the Senate vote-buying investigation, demanding that Investigation Committee No. 26 be allowed to complete its work as the final group is scheduled to be summoned within days. He also requested that Sawaeng supervise his subordinates to prevent them from accessing case files that could be leaked to the vote-buying network to help prepare defenses against charges.