Thailand's Election Commission (EC) will file a charge of electoral fraud against Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban for distributing towels carrying his and the party's name, local media reported Friday.

If found guilty, Suthep, also Secretary-General of the ruling Democrat Party, could be stripped of electoral rights for ten years, put into jail from one to 10 years and forced to pay a fine from 20,000 baht (581 U.S. dollars) to 200,000 baht (5810 U.S. dollars).

The EC would go ahead with filing a charge against Suthep because the Court of Appeal on Thursday endorsed its judgment on the matter, Thailand's English newspaper the Nation quoted EC commissioner Prapun Naigowit as saying.

Prapun said that court sanction is required because the EC had endorsed the victory of politicians linked to Suthep before proof of fraud was found. Prapun said the EC's legal side would inform election authorities in Surat Thani province to file an electoral-fraud charge against Suthep.

The incident occurred on April 13 last year when Mr. Suthep and Democrat MPs Chumpol Kanchana and Praphon Ninwatcharamanee distributed towels carrying their names and their party's name to old people at Samui island, Surat Thani province in south Thailand,just seven days before local election, where Suthep's brother Thanee Thaugsuban and Surinya Yuennan, a politician linked to the Democrats, were contesting.

And on Thursday, a local appeal court issued a ruling that Thanee be stripped of electoral rights for one year and issued a yellow card for Thanee.

Prapun said even though Suthep is a Democrat executive, the charges against him would not lead to the ruling party being dissolved. "This case involves a local election, while the dissolution penalty only applies to MP elections," Prapun said.

He added that the law does not require Suthep to be suspended and that as an MP he could exercise his right for immunity during a parliamentary session.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, head of the Democrat Party, declined to comment on the matter, saying he preferred to look at the court verdict in detail first.

Source: Xinhua