A Thai senator could be booted from Parliament and jailed for up to 10 years after being caught falsely claiming the title of Professor during her campaign.
The Election Commission (EC) has ruled that 45 year old Keskamol Pleansamai, a physician-turned-politician, wrongfully used the academic title in her Senate election application last year, a violation that could land her in prison and bar her from future elections for the next 20 years.
The ruling does not address Keskamol’s controversial claim of holding two previously disputed doctoral degrees.
Lawyer Pattharapong Supaksorn, who filed the complaint, stated yesterday, July 21, that he has requested the EC to refer the case to the Election Division of the Supreme Court by Thursday, July 24, within the seven-day legal timeframe.
“If the Supreme Court accepts the petition, Keskamol will be suspended from duty until a final ruling is made,” said Pattharapong. “There is no reason to delay the investigation into her academic qualifications.”
Keskamol stunned observers during the multi-tiered Senate elections in June last year by securing the highest number of votes in the freelance professional category. Her medical background and high-sounding academic claims seemed to win favour with voters, but those same claims are now under fire.
She listed doctoral degrees in Business Administration and Political Science from California University FCE, a little-known American institution. But a probe revealed the degrees were issued by unaccredited institutions in the US and are not recognised in Thailand.
Officials also found that the documents she submitted failed to meet the country’s standards for doctoral-level qualifications, reported Bangkok Post.
This is just the latest twist in Thailand’s ongoing saga of questionable academic claims in politics, a pattern that has plagued the system for years.
If Keskamol is found guilty by the Supreme Court, it could set a precedent for tighter academic scrutiny in future elections.
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