The Court of Appeal has overturned a lower court ruling in a lèse-majesté case against Piyarat "Toto" Chongthep, a People's Party MP, sentencing him to three years in prison without suspension. He is currently free on bail while he pursues a further appeal.
The Kalasin Provincial Court on Wednesday held a hearing to read the appeal court's ruling in the case involving Mr Piyarat, an opposition MP and former leader of the We Volunteer (WeVo) political protest group.
Mr Piyarat had been charged under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lèse-majesté law, and Section 14 (3) of the Computer Crime Act.
The charges stem from allegations that he and others installed vinyl banners criticising the government’s Covid-19 vaccine procurement monopoly along a roadside in Kalasin province and later posted images of the signs on Facebook and Twitter on Jan 23, 2021.
In a post on his Facebook account on Wednesday, Mr Piyarat said the Court of Appeal reversed the lower court’s acquittal and sentenced him to three years in prison without suspension.
He said the lower court had previously examined only prosecution witnesses and had terminated the defence witness examination despite objections from the defence.
The lower court later dismissed the case, citing doubts over the credibility of the prosecution’s evidence.
The Kalasin Provincial Court on Wednesday granted temporary release to Mr Piyarat after a 300,000-baht surety was posted, with conditions barring the opposition MP from leaving the country without prior court approval.
Earlier, prosecutors in the northeastern province targeted him on grounds that a truck used to transport the banners was owned by his mother, and the van following the truck belonged to him.
In October 2024, the court ruled that witness accounts presented by prosecutors could not confirm that Mr Piyarat was at the scene or in his vehicle.
Police also did not have evidence to prove he posted the online messages, as Mr Piyarat was under detention at Special Remand Prison when the messages first appeared.
Mr Piyarat was detained for 33 days after being charged and on his release was ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for almost two months after his bail request was approved.
In 2023, Mr Piyarat decided to switch from being a protester to becoming a full-time politician. He ran under the Move Forward Party banner and won a seat in the Phra Khanong-Bang Na constituency in Bangkok.
Move Forward was dissolved by the Constitutional Court in 2024 on grounds that its proposal to amend the lèse-majesté law threatened the constitutional monarchy. It was reborn as the People’s Party.
