PM stands by hiring of ex-convict Pichit
PUBLISHED : 31 Jul 2024 at 04:54
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin submitted a closing statement on Tuesday to the Constitutional Court, insisting he has worked with honesty and integrity amid scrutiny over his appointment of former convict Pichit Chuenban as PM’s Office Minister.
According to a Pheu Thai source, the premier’s closing argument in the case involving the controversial appointment during the last cabinet reshuffle did not differ significantly from a 32-page defence he presented to the court in June.
However, according to the source, the closing statement emphasised a number of crucial points to strengthen the prime minister’s case.
Among them are Section 160 (4) and (5) of the charter, which requires that those who will become cabinet ministers uphold moral integrity and prohibit them from violating ethical standards for political office holders.
The source said Mr Srettha argued his point using the minutes of a meeting of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), which is chaired by legal specialist Meechai Ruchupan.
Based on the minutes, the meeting discussed how one can prove if a cabinet minister has moral integrity with Mr Meechai telling the meeting that the question surrounding a cabinet minister’s qualifications should be referred to the Constitutional Court.
At the same meeting, Pakorn Nilprapunt, secretary-general of the Council of State, who was the CDC’s secretary at that time, said that while Section 160 (4) and (5) set standards for cabinet ministers, they could also be abused.
Citing the meeting minutes, Mr Srettha argued that he and the prime minister’s secretariat office were not in a position to make a decision regarding Pichit’s qualifications. In his defence, the prime minister said that he had no legal or public administration background and, therefore, could not decide if Pichit was qualified or not.
Without the court’s ruling on Pichit’s qualifications, he could not assume Pichit was unfit to hold the post. He also said the appointment benefited the government’s work under political trust and an agreement between coalition partners.
Mr Srettha also noted that the accusations against Pichit occurred more than 15 years ago, and the offence had been committed before the 2017 charter was in force.
The prime minister said he has worked with honesty and integrity and was co-selected by parliament to serve as prime minister. According to the source, he asked the court to give him fairness and allow him to continue serving.
A group of 40 former senators initiated the case against the prime minister. They lodged a petition seeking his ouster as premier in May over Pichit’s appointment. They deemed Pichit unfit to assume a cabinet post because he had served jail time for contempt of court in 2008.
Pichit resigned from the cabinet before the court accepted the petition, which observers saw as a bid to spare Mr Srettha from a legal wrangle. The court agreed to hear the case against Mr Srettha but rejected the case against Pichit as he had already stepped down. The Constitutional Court is scheduled to deliver its ruling on the case on Aug 14.