Former deputy Prime Minister and interior minister Yongyuth Wichaidit on Monday denied claims that he had an affair with a married woman before demanding the Pheu Thai Party dismiss famed lawyer Sitra Biabangkerd -- who made the allegations -- from its ranks.
Mr Yongyuth, a former Pheu Thai leader himself, spoke out after Mr Sitra alleged on Facebook on Saturday that a high-ranking party member had been involved in an extramarital sexual relationship.
Mr Sitra said the woman's husband had asked him for his assistance after finding out about the affair last month. Among the evidence that the man had shown Mr Sitra were intimate photographs of the pair, he said in the post.
The husband filed for divorce and sought to initiate legal proceedings against the politician on Dec 30, but according to Mr Sitra, the politician in question countersued, claiming he had been seduced and defrauded.
Since the trio met at Bang Yi Khan police station, the man has received threats from unidentified individuals, which prompted him to go public with the matter to protect his client, Mr Sitra said.
While Mr Sitra didn't directly identify the politician in question in his post to avoid defamation charges, he hinted the culprit served as a deputy interior minister in Yingluck Shinawatra's cabinet and enjoyed playing golf.
While the politician was a Pheu Thai member, he has not been associated with the party since 2018, and his name starts with the letter "Y", said the lawyer in his Facebook post.
When asked to respond to the accusation, Mr Yongyuth said he was dealing with the matter.
"However, I urge the party to dismiss Mr Sitra," said Mr Yongyuth, who served from August 2011 to September 2012. "I insist the culprit is not me, as there are many deputy ministers."
Pheu Thai chief Cholnan Srikaew said as Mr Yongyuth has not been an active party member since 2018, the party has no need to launch a probe.
"There's nothing to worry about as Mr Yongyuth has nothing to do with the party," he said.
Meanwhile, Prodprasob Surasawadee, another former deputy Prime Minister minister in the Yingluck administration's cabinet, also insisted that he was not the one to whom Mr Sitra was referring, saying his first name doesn't start with the letter "Y".
