The party’s leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit was to speak on the alleged shady behaviour of the government in international affairs.

He claimed that he had investigated a case on his own and found that the Thai government could be linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption case involving former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak.

“Through all forms of justice, even when the Constitutional Court had judged me in the past, I had the right to speak,” Chuwit, once the country’s biggest massage parlour owner, said.

After his arrest in 2003, he publicly claimed that he paid huge amounts as bribes to many Thai police officers. He then sold some of his massage parlours, formed his own political party and unsuccessfully ran for Bangkok governor in 2004.

He argued that the political loans and media stock issues were problems that Thanathorn had himself created, and no one else was responsible for them. “If the justice system in the country was used to only dissolve the Future Forward Party, then I would say that there is no justice,” he said.

Thanathorn must admit that he was wrong on these two issues, Chuwit said, adding, “If he is fighting against state power, then he should learn to avoid loopholes but he failed and died easily.”

He argued that all creditors have influence. “In business, if you seek a bank loan, you must comply with the bank’s regulations. Domination occurs at any time if you don’t follow the loan terms.”

Chuwit said that it was impossible to borrow money from the party leader and then claim that the party can operate independently, without the domination of the party leader, who is also the lender.

He summed up Thanathorn’s predicament through a Thai proverb which means, “holding the meat that you cannot eat and leather you cannot sit on while the bone is stuck in the throat”.

And they lost no time in summoning supporters to party headquarters on Bangkok’s Phetchaburi Road.

Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit vowed to continue fighting and announced the formation of “the Group of Future Forward”, which he said would keep up the campaign to get Thailand back on the road to democracy.

Party secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul objected to the court’s ruling, which also bans party executives from contesting elections for 10 years.

Piyabutr called the judges’ interpretation of the law inappropriate and accused them of applying double standards.

The court concurred with the Election Commission and said its complaint was correctly filed after a due period of consideration.

It said party members who received a loan were in effect accepting donations or benefits, in violation of Section 72 of the Organic Act on Political Parties.

It also found Future Forward in violation of Section 62, which sets out the legal means by which political parties can obtain money. 

Even if a loan does not represent income per se, the court ruled, it is political revenue, and Thanathorn attached conditions and an interest rate, as is common with regular loans sought and granted for commercial purposes.

Both Sections 66 and 72 also prohibit monetary contributions that exceed Bt10 million per year in total, the court noted. Thanathorn’s loans combined went far above that.

The court found the party guilty as charged and ordered it disbanded in accordance with Section 92 of the same legislation.

The court revoked party executives’ right to contest any more elections for 10 years and prohibited them from registering a new party for the same length of time.

What’s in store in court ruling

Future Forward faithful gather to watch verdict

With a Constitutional Court ruling on the party’s fate due at 3pm, the faithful obtained membership cards bearing a hand-drawn portrait of Thanathorn and top donors received T-shirts autographed by party MPs.

As a band played in the background, protective facemasks were distributed to ward off the Covid-19 virus.

Party executives speaking at the gathering insisted that Thanathorn’s financial loans to the party and some members – the primary move that landed him and the party in legal trouble – had adhered to the Constitution, but “the process is not in our favour”, as one put it.

As verdict time drew near, the crowd began swelling around a large TV screen.

The commission cited Section 62 of the charter’s organic law on political parties giving political parties seven ways to raise funds – which is different from the Civil and Commercial Code.

Therefore, the money that does not come from the sources that the law on political parties allows will be considered illegitimate even though it is legal according to the other codes.

The law in Section 66 also limits the amount of money that can be collected in donations at Bt10 million, a restriction intended to foster transparency.

Section 72 furthermore prohibits political parties and their members from receiving money or assets from any sources when they know they are unlawful or have reasonable doubts of being unlawful.

The Constitutional Court was at 3pm on Friday (February 21) set to announce a verdict on the commission’s complaint.

It could find the party not guilty of violating some legislation and not others, which would see allow the commission to lay charges under the penal code but would not result in its dissolution.

If Section 62 and 66 are violated, penalties will include imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of up to Bt100,000 or both, or the party could be barred from the next election and fined up to Bt1 million and its executives could be banned from politics for five years.

Security was tightened outside the court premises with metal barriers erected to create a perimeter. Use of cellphones, watches and electronic devices in the courtroom is prohibited.

Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said that the police will maintain peace by deploying 150 policemen to monitor the situation.

Representatives from international organisations such as the European Union and the US embassy will also attend.

The minister said the by-election campaigns of Phalang Pracharat and Pheu Thai parties went smoothly in a positive atmosphere with warming responses from the locals.

“There was no intimidation,” Somsak said, adding that he would help the Phalang Pracharat MP when his present tenure ends on February 21.

Sompong Amornvivat, leader of Pheu Thai, said party members told of being followed and threatened by some military personnel in the past few days.

Somsak believed that the government party MP would win the by-election.

Party leader Sompong Amornvivat said on Thursday (February 20) that some of his MPs campaigning there had been “followed” and threatened by some men in the last three or four days.

And when he visited the party’s former MP there, two unknown men were seen wandering around outside the house.

Deputy leader Nakorn Machim claimed “the government” had ordered local leaders to support its people at the polls, presumably referring to Phalang Pracharat candidates and said the Army was ordered to pressure Pheu Thai during the campaign.

Nakorn said the party had complained to the Election Commission but had no response so far.

He has asked Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to halt the interference so that election meddling doesn’t become a topic in the upcoming censure debate.