Court acquits 4 NBTC commissioners over removal of acting sec-gen

Court clears four NBTC commissioners of misconduct in sacking acting secretary-general Trairat over World Cup fund probe.

The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on Tuesday acquitted four commissioners of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) in a malfeasance lawsuit brought by a former acting secretary-general.

Allegations by Deputy Secretary-General Dismissed

At 9:30 am, the court ruled that the plaintiff, Deputy NBTC Secretary-General Trairat Wiriyasirikul, had failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his allegations. He had accused the four NBTC commissioners and Deputy Secretary-General Phumsit Mahawetsiri of conspiring to commit malfeasance, citing breaches of Articles 83, 86, and 157 of the Criminal Code, as well as Article 172 of the Corruption Prevention and Suppression Act.NBTC Commissioners Acted Within Legal Authority

The court determined that the commissioners acted within their legal authority when they removed Trairat from his post and appointed Phumsit as acting secretary-general of the NBTC Office. The judges found no evidence of misconduct or regulatory violation in the commissioners' actions and subsequently acquitted all five defendants.

The four NBTC commissioners named as co-defendants were:


Thanaphan Raicharoen
Pirongrong Ramasoota
Supat Supchalasai
Somphop Phuriwikraipong
Dispute Rooted in World Cup Licensing Fund Use

The lawsuit stemmed from an NBTC order dated 23 January 2023, which formed a subcommittee to investigate the NBTC Office's decision to allocate 600 million baht from its Research and Development Fund to purchase the 2022 FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights for Thailand.

The subcommittee members were appointed by Thanaphan, Pirongrong, and Supat. Trairat alleged the panel's formation violated previous NBTC resolutions and decisions made by the Sports Authority of Thailand.

Subcommittee Findings Led to Disciplinary Proceedings
On 20 June 2023, the subcommittee concluded that the fund’s use may have contravened legal guidelines.

Subsequently, on 9 June, the NBTC voted to form a disciplinary panel to investigate Trairat. He was also removed from his position as acting secretary-general, pending the outcome of the investigation.

The four commissioners then voted to appoint Phumsit Mahawetsiri as acting secretary-general.

Plaintiff Alleges Reputational Harm and Career Setback
In his lawsuit, Trairat claimed that the commissioners violated NBTC Regulations No. 21 and No. 29 by initiating a disciplinary probe as a means to facilitate Phumsit's appointment. He asserted that the move damaged his professional reputation and undermined his future career prospects.

Trairat Nearing Mandatory Retirement

Trairat is expected to reach the NBTC's mandatory retirement age by the end of this month.

(2025/04/08-00:00)