Election Commission claims Keskamol Pleansamai misled voters about qualifications
Dr Keskamol Pleansamai, the owner of four beauty clinics with a large online following, won more votes than any other candidate in the 2024 Senate election.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case brought by the Election Commission (EC) against Senator Keskamol Pleansamai, who is accused of misleading voters by falsely claiming to hold an academic professorship.
The court said it would convene on Sept 10 to examine evidence and witness lists in the case.
An EC investigation found earlier that Senator Keskamol had breached the organic law on Senate elections. The offence carries a punishment of one to 10 years’ imprisonment, and/or a fine ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 baht.
If the court upholds the findings of the poll body, the senator could also lose her right to run for office and to vote for 20 years.
The EC supported its petition with testimony from several witnesses who claimed they voted for Dr Keskamol in last year’s Senate election because they believed she genuinely held a professorship, as indicated in her self-introduction document.
In that document, Dr Keskamol stated in her educational background that she held the title of Professor in Human Resource Development, awarded by California University FCE.
California University is a foreign credential evaluation institution and the certificates it awards are not accredited by the relevant bodies in Thailand.
Her continued use of the title during the Senate election was deemed an act of electoral fraud and a violation of the organic law, which prohibits misleading voters to gain votes, the EC said.
Dr Keskamol, 47, holds a medical degree from Rangsit University, one of the few items in her CV that has been verified. Her other claims of multiple graduate degrees and a professorship came under attack by social media sleuths after her election.
The owner of four beauty clinics, “Dr Kes” — as she’s known to her large online following — said that when she ran for the Senate, she chose to compete in the Freelance Workers group, rather than the Public Health group because the latter featured many well-known people.
The Medical Council of Thailand said earlier that Dr Keskamol was not entitled to call herself a skin specialist as she did not have recognised dermatology certification.
Dr Keskamol’s choice of “university” in the US also drew suspicion as it is the same university where Thamanat Prompow, a former minister and now chief adviser to the Klatham Party, earned his PhD.
Dr Keskamol is also one of dozens of senators being investigated for collusion and vote-rigging in the 2024 election.
