Thailand’s Supreme Court on Wednesday removed Prime Minister Shretha Thavisin from office on charges of violating ethical values. The court had ordered the dissolution of the main opposition party a week ago. These two developments have caused a stir in Thai politics. PM Shretha’s appointment of a member in his cabinet was included in jail for allegedly attempting to bribe a court official. Considering Shretha Thavisin’s move as a violation of ethics, the Constitutional Court convicted him and removed him from the post of Prime Minister.
The nine-judge constitutional bench ruled against Shretha with a split vote of 5:4. The current cabinet will continue on a caretaker basis until parliament approves a new prime minister to take office. The court has not set a deadline for parliament to choose a new prime minister. In a cabinet reshuffle in April, Shretha Thawisin appointed Pichit Chuenban as minister of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Pichit was jailed for six months in 2008 for contempt of court after he allegedly tried to bribe a judge in a case involving former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra with 2 million Thai baht ($55,000) in cash in a grocery bag. Pichit resigned a few weeks after taking office when controversy erupted over his appointment to a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
The court said that although Pichit had already served jail time for his crime, his conduct was dishonest according to the Supreme Court’s decision. The court ruled that as Prime Minister, it was Shretha Thavisin’s responsibility to find out about the personal history and qualifications of anyone before including them in his cabinet. The Supreme Court said in its decision that PM Shretha knew about Pichit Chuenban’s past but still included him in his cabinet. Therefore, we have come to the conclusion that he has violated the Code of Ethics.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)