Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin removed from office over constitutional violation
Bangkok: Thailand Constitutional court on Wednesday removed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office over constitutional violation.
Real estate tycoon Srettha becomes the fourth Thai premier in 16 years to be removed in verdicts by the same court, after he violated the constitution by appointing a minister who has served prison.
Five of the court’s nine judges voted to dismiss Srettha and his Cabinet, ruling that the prime minister was well aware that he appointed a person who seriously lacked moral integrity as reported by CNN.
The Cabinet will remain in place on a caretaker basis until Parliament approves a new prime minister. There is no time limit for Parliament to fill the position.
Srettha had appointed Pichit Chuenban as a minister of the Prime Minister’s Office in a Cabinet reshuffle in April. Pichit was jailed for six months in 2008 on contempt of court charges after he allegedly tried to bribe a judge with 2 million baht ($55,000) in cash in a grocery bag over a case involving former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Pichit resigned from the post weeks after being appointed when controversy over the incident was revived.
The court said that although Pichit has already served his jail term. Srettha as prime minister has sole responsibility for vetting the qualifications of his Cabinet nominations. The Court said he knew about Pichit’s past but still nominated him, and thus he violated the ethics codes.