Politics Thai Senator Faces Jail for False Professor Title in Election Bid

[snoop1130]

Photo from Senator faces Supreme Court over misleading PhD claims

 

A Thai senator faces dismissal from Parliament and a potential 10-year prison sentence, after being caught falsely claiming the title of Professor during her election campaign.

 

The Election Commission (EC) has determined that 45-year-old Keskamol Pleansamai, a physician who transitioned into politics, improperly used the academic title in her Senate election application last year. This breach could result in imprisonment and a 20-year ban from participating in elections.

 

Keskamol's contentious claim to hold two disputed doctoral degrees remains unaddressed by this ruling.

 

Lawyer Pattharapong Supaksorn, who lodged the complaint, revealed yesterday, 21 July, that he has urged the EC to forward the case to the Election Division of the Supreme Court by Thursday, 24 July, within the legally allowed seven-day window.

 

“If the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case, Keskamol will be suspended pending the final judgment,” Pattharapong noted. “There's no justification to delay investigating her academic credentials.”

 

Keskamol astonished observers during June’s multi-tiered Senate elections last year by garnering the most votes in the freelance professional category. Her medical qualifications and noteworthy academic claims appeared to resonate with voters, though these claims are now under scrutiny.

 

She had declared doctoral degrees in Business Administration and Political Science from California University FCE, an obscure US-based institution. However, an inquiry revealed these degrees were issued by unaccredited entities in the United States and lack recognition in Thailand.

 

Officials also asserted that the documents she provided did not conform to the national criteria for doctoral qualifications.

 

This situation adds another chapter to Thailand’s continuous saga of dubious academic claims within the political arena, a complication that has troubled the system for years.

 

Should Keskamol be found guilty by the Supreme Court, it could establish a precedent for more rigorous academic validations in upcoming elections.

 

The implications of this case could extend to tighter scrutiny of qualifications, impacting the trajectory of future political prospects. Stakes are high, with Keskamol’s fate and the potential for systemic reforms hanging in the balance.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-07-22

 

 

[dinsdale]

4 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

A Thai senator faces dismissal from Parliament and a potential 10-year prison sentence, after being caught falsely claiming the title of Professor during her election campaign.

Ten years for this and banned from politics for 20 years when the place is packed full of the totally corrupt. 

[dutch boy]

Most likely from the Bhumjaithai Party which is under investigation from the Division of Special Investigations for money laundering as well as other corrupt activity. And of course our dear friend, Anutin, is head of this Party. 

[dinsdale]

1 hour ago, dutch boy said:

Most likely from the Bhumjaithai Party which is under investigation from the Division of Special Investigations for money laundering as well as other corrupt activity. And of course our dear friend, Anutin, is head of this Party. 

Nope. Ran under the Freelance Worker's Party.