Court accepts petition against PM

Srettha’s removal from prime ministerial duties pending a decision was opposed by the judge.

Court accepts petition against PM
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, left, is welcomed at Haneda aircraft, Japan, on Wednesday. ( Photo: Government House )

The Supreme Court has accepted a petition asking for Srettha Thavisin’s resignation in light of his choice to assign a minister with a jail history. Nevertheless, the court has voted 5- 4 never to halt him from responsibility pending its decision.

Nine judges from the contract judge met on Thursday morning to discuss the petition submitted by a group of 40 caretaker senators. The courts voted 6 to 3 to accept the petition and gave Mr. Srettha a deadline of 15 days to provide an argument.

The court even voted 8- 1 to accept a similar complaint against previous Prime Minister’s Office Minister Pichit Chuenban, citing his departure on Tuesday.

The caretaker senators had previously requested that Section 170( 4 ) and ( 5 ) of the charter, which governs the ethics of cabinet ministers, be removed from their positions.

Before Pichit became a member of the case, he advised Srettha. Before that, Pichit was Thaksin Shinawatra’s prosecutor in the “lunchbox money” controversy’s “lunchbox” case and received a jail sentence for attempting to pay the Supreme Court. This raised concerns about his suitability to work as a government minister.

After they attempted to pay Supreme Court officers by handing them a snack with a paper case containing 2 million ringgit in dollars a month earlier, the Supreme Court sentenced Pichit and two of his colleagues to six months in prison on June 25, 2008.

In the Ratchadaphisek property circumstance, for which Thaksin received a two-year prison sentence in 2008, all three were representing Thaksin and his ex-wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra.

Mr. Srettha, who is already in Japan, stated to reporters last week that the ethics complaint senators have filed with the Constitutional Court did not cause him to lose focus on his work.