Thailand

Thailand Government threatens legal action over 1MDB accusation

The Government of Thailand has threatened to take legal action against the Future Forward Party for accusations that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha aided in the cover up of Malaysia's 1MDB scandal.

Pannika Wanich, Spokewoman for the Future Forward Party, told press that Chan-o-cha had assisted the former Malaysian government in the arrest of a whistleblower in the 1MDB case in 2015, as well as allowing financial criminals to operate in Thailand, as reported in an article by the Bangkok Post.

Wanich pointed to alleged irregularities surrounding the arrest of Xavier Justo, the first whistleblower arrested in Thailand in relation to the 1MDB scandal.

She also pointed to the fact that Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho was allowed into and out of Thailand 5 times between despite the fact that Low had an Interpol red notice from Singapore during the 2016 to 2018 period highlighted.

A government spokesperson has subsequently stated that Wanich’s accusations are “not true,” according to a report by The Asean Post.

Prayut Chan-o-cha has commented that “the ministries are investigating and if it's not true, they can sue.”

The Future Forward Party was disbanded by Thai courts in February 2020 after its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit gave the party a donation of Bt191 million, an act forbidden by voting laws. This makes it the fourth anti-military party of be disbanded in 13 years.