If Srettha Thavisin is removed from office in a situation involving the nomination of a minister with a prison history, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the head of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, claims she is not yet prepared to become the next prime minister.
” I am no prepared]to became prime minister ] yet”, said Ms Paetongtarn, who is another excellent governmental member of Pheu Thai.
Yet, Ms Paetongtarn said she believed the Constitutional Court would rule in Mr Srettha’s behalf.
” There should be no concern with the prime minister. He will continue to work to address people’s monetary issues.
” I myself did hold out my work as the party leader and as chair of the government’s federal smooth- power development committee to the best of my abilities,” said Ms Paetongtarn, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is commonly seen as Pheu Thai’s de facto leader.
On Thursday, the Constitutional Court accepted a complaint seeking Mr Srettha’s resignation over the nomination of Pichit Chuenban as PM’s Office Minister.
The courts ordered Mr. Srettha to provide an argument within 15 days. However, the jury decided not to dismiss him as PM pending its decision.
Additionally, the jury voted to reject Pichit Chuenban’s resignation on Tuesday in response to a related petition filed against him.
Pichit resigned in what was thought to be a move to prevent Mr. Srettha from potential legal angst associated with appointing him as a government secretary despite his enrollment being in dispute.
Previously, 40 caretaker senators had asked the Constitutional Court if Mr Srettha and Pichit should be removed from office under Section 170 ( 4 ) and ( 5 ) of the charter, which deals with the ethics of cabinet ministers.
The visit of Pichit, who previously served as ex- prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s attorney as well as Mr Srettha’s director, as PM’s Office secretary raised questions about his registration to function as a cabinet minister.
He was sentenced to prison for contempt of court in 2008 while representing Thaksin in a contentious land deal case.
After they attempted to bribe Supreme Court officials by handing them a paper bag containing 2 million baht in cash a fortnight earlier, the Supreme Court sentenced Pichit and two of his colleagues to six months in prison on June 25, 2008.
In the Ratchadaphisek land case, for which Thaksin received a two-year prison sentence in 2008, all three of Thaksin’s former partners, Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra and his ex-wife, were represented.
Prapan Koonmee, one of the 40 senators who submitted the petition, said the court should not take long to consider the case.
He claimed that the case is not complicated because the petition contained sufficient facts and information, adding that the court is anticipated to render its decision in three months.
The rest of the cabinet will remain in place until a new prime minister is elected by parliament, according to Romtham Khamnurak, deputy spokesman of the Democrat Party.
This is because, according to Mr. Romtham, the senators ‘ petition only singled out Mr. Srettha for removal.
Former Pheu Thai spokesman Sakda Noppasit also noted that the petition calling for Mr. Srettha’s ouster is a direct response to Thaksin because the senators were unsatisfied with him’s growing political influence after his return to Thailand, despite him not holding any official government office.
Thaksin returned last August. His jail term was then commuted, and he was paroled in February.