Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ordered Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his entire cabinet was to be removed from office after finding him guilty of gross ethical misconduct. The judgement come eight days after the same court ordered the official opposition Move forwards Party dissolved.
The constitutional court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the prime minister had displayed a “lack of evident integrity” over his appointment of Mr. Phichit Chuenban, a long-time lawyer for the Shinawatra family, and former convict as a minister.
Phichit had been sentenced to six-months in prison by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders over a bribery case and was, therefore, not qualified to become a minister.
The court dismissed Mr. Thavisin’s argument that he is a businessman and is not familiar with legal matters, noting that Mr. Phichit’s past was widely known. The court believed Mr. Thavisin was fully aware of Mr. Phichit’s conviction and that he might have qualification problems if appointed as a minister.
The court concluded that such conduct by a prime minister was an indication that someone had influence over him, to the benefit of vested interests, which would be damaging to the premiership and nation.
The prime minister should have used his judgment, because integrity is an important general principle especially in the highest office in the land. The appointment of Phichit, despite the fact that his name had previously been withdrawn from the cabinet list, indicates that the prime minister lacked “evident integrity” and breached ethical standards,” the court concluded.
After the verdict Mr. Srettha declined to speculate on who would be the next Prime Minister. He told reporters that he had been working to the best of his ability in governing the country since his appointment in August last year.
He said that deputy prime minister and Commerce Minister Mr. Phumtham Wechayachai would take over as acting Prime Minister until a news Premier could be elected by parliament. He also expressed confidence in the parliamentary system to elect a new Prime Minister.
Mr. Srettha said he accepted the courts ruling and insisted that he is a man of integrity and declined to comment further on the ruling, stating that it is now a matter of the past.
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Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
