Bangkok: A shockwave erupted before the Election Commission (EC) meeting began when Somchai revealed that witness code number 16 is Ekkarach Changlao, a former member of the Bhumjaithai Party. He had previously testified against Newin, Anutin, and other MPs for allegedly masterminding collusion in the Senate election, potentially violating Section 76 of the Criminal Code, before later reversing his stance.
According to Thai News Agency, former Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn posted a message before the Election Commission meeting to consider and vote on the Senate collusion case, revealing the name of witness number 16, who had written to the Election Commission chairman requesting to retract his testimony previously given to the 26th investigative committee, which stated that the Bhumjaithai Party was involved in collusion in the Senate election. The witness was identified as Mr. Ekkarach Changlao.
Mr. Somchai stated that he questioned the identity of witness code 16 and why the document retracting his testimony was released in the final three days before the vote. Upon closer examination of the minutes of Sub-committee 36, it was found that some sections of the recording included the name "Ekkarach Changlao." An AI search revealed that Mr. Ekkarach Changlao is a politician from Khon Kaen province, a former Member of Parliament (MP), and a former executive of the Khon Kaen Teachers' Savings Cooperative. In the 2023 election, he was elected as an MP for Khon Kaen Constituency 4 under the Bhumjaithai Party.
Subsequently, on April 17, 2025, the Khon Kaen Provincial Court sentenced him to 5 years and 93 months in prison and ordered him to pay approximately 405 million baht in compensation to the cooperative. Then, on April 18, 2025, the Bhumjaithai Party resolved to expel him from party membership. Mr. Somchai stated that the information gathered from his investigation aligns with what was stated in the minutes of the Sub-committee Meeting No. 36, which indicated that the individual was a former Bhumjaithai Party MP who, after being expelled from the party, gave testimony hostile to the party. Later, he requested to retract all his previous testimony, raising concerns about the credibility of this witness.
He deemed him unreliable, questioning why the documents were leaked at the last minute. The answer is that most of the testimony of witness code 16 implicated MPs and executive committee members of the Bhumjaithai Party, stating that a meeting took place at the party office between June 16, 2024, and June 26, 2024, after the provincial Senate elections, and that MPs, executive committee members, and Mr. Newin Chidchob were seen attending the meeting. And at the Senate meeting held at the King Power Novotel Hotel on July 21, 2024, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul and MPs from his party were seen at the hotel, and Mr. Newin Chidchob was found in the main conference room.
The initial testimony of witness code 16, before his retraction, concerned political figures, including MPs, party executives, and ministers, committing offenses under Section 76, first paragraph, of the Senate Act. The subsequent retraction, claiming he was coerced and threatened by an unknown man, and the Election Commission Secretary-General's finding of his testimony unreliable, may have paved the way for today's Election Commission resolution that the 21+1 individuals in case file 26 are not guilty. This led to rumors circulating prior to the resolution, suggesting the dismissal of all charges against the political parties related to Section 76, first paragraph.