Thai court to decide embattled PM Srettha’s fate on Aug 14
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The case seeks the dismissal of Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for appointing to his Cabinet a lawyer who served time in jail.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BANGKOK – Thailand’s Constitutional Court said on July 24 that it will hand down its verdict on Aug 14 in a case that seeks the dismissal of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for appointing to his Cabinet a lawyer who served time in jail.
The case stems from a complaint from a group of former senators over the appointment of Mr Pichit Chuenban, who has since resigned. He was imprisoned briefly in 2008 for contempt of court over an alleged attempt to bribe court staff, which was never proven.
Real estate tycoon Srettha denies wrongdoing and says Mr Pichit, a former lawyer for the politically powerful Shinawatra family, was thoroughly vetted, and his appointment was above board.
The removal of Mr Srettha could plunge Thailand into uncertainty and would require Parliament to elect a new premier, potentially pitting his Pheu Thai Party against coalition partners in what could result in a shake-up of the governing alliance and a realignment of Cabinet and policies.
“The Constitutional Court has considered and finds the case is a legal matter and there is sufficient evidence to decide the case,” it said in a statement.
The verdict will come a week after another major decision by the same court, which will decide the fate of the hugely popular opposition Move Forward Party
The progressive, anti-establishment Move Forward is accused by the election commission of undermining Thailand’s system of governance over its campaign to amend a strict law that forbids insulting the royal family, under which hundreds of people have been prosecuted, some given jail terms of decades.
The rulings risk reigniting a two-decade old struggle for power in Thailand between royalist, conservative forces allied with the powerful military and major political parties with mass appeal that have repeatedly been dissolved by courts or toppled in coups.
The case comes as Mr Srettha battles to revive an underperforming economy that has lagged behind its peers, with delays to implementing his signature US$13.8 billion (S$18.6 billion) handout scheme aimed at spurring growth and stubborn problems of household debt. REUTERS
