Thai Constitutional Court Dismisses Srettha From PM Position

BANGKOK, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- Thailand's Constitutional Court dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from his premiership on Wednesday after finding him guilty of appointing a minister with criminal conviction in May.

The Constitutional Court ruled that Srettha is guilty of violating the Constitution for appointing Pichit Chuenban as a minister, despite knowing about Pichit's past conviction for contempt of court.

In a majority vote of 5 to 4, the Constitutional Court ruled that Srettha’s position had indeed ceased to exist due to a lack of integrity, which is a disqualification under Article 160 (4) of the Constitution, and that his conduct violated the serious ethical standards outlined in Article 160 (5).

The court found that Srettha, despite knowing about Pichit's past conviction for contempt of court, had still proposed his appointment as a minister.

"This demonstrated a lack of integrity, a direct violation of Article 160 (4) of the Constitution," according to the court ruling in a statement.

As a result of the Prime Minister's dismissal, the entire Cabinet was dissolved in accordance with Article 167 paragraph one (1) of the Constitution.

In May this year, Srettha was accused of violating ethics rules by appointing Pichit, who was convicted for corruption-related offence in 2008, as Minister of the Prime Minister's Office.

Pichit resigned from his role in a bid to protect Srettha but the Constitutional Court still agreed to hear the case.

Meanwhile, Srettha in his immediate response, said he accepted the verdict despite it not being the result he expected.

“I am dejected but I accept the verdict," he told reporters at the Government House in Thailand's capital.

Srettha also thanked all the Constitutional Court judges for giving all parties the opportunity to present their explanations on the issue.

While declining to comment on his successor, Srettha reflected on his tenure: "I did my best to do everything accordingly and to work very seriously. I remained firm in my work and acted with honesty and integrity."

-- BERNAMA