Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin risks suspension from his leadership after the Thai constitutional court accept a plea alleging the PM is in violation of his ethical duties as the leader of the nation.
The plea was filed by around 40 senators who have sought for the ouster for the Thai PM for appointing a minister with a prison record.
The Thai PM appointed Pichit Chuenban, a former lawyer with a criminal past as the minister of the Prime Minister's Office.
Before Pichit was hired as the minister to the Prime Minister's Office, he worked as an adviser to PM Thavisin. However, long before this, Pichit served as a lawyer for former PM Thaksin Shinawatra’s in the "lunchbox cash" scandal.
Chuenban was found guilty of attempting to bribe the Supreme Court and was given a prison sentence for the same.
Following his cabinet appointment, the senators filed a plea against the PM stating that he was in violation of his ethical duties as the leader of the country. The senators also called for Chuenban's resignation, which was announced on Tuesday.
As per Bangkok Post, the matter was heard today in the Constitutional Court. During the hearing, the court voted 5 to 4 to not suspend the Prime Minister. However, a final ruling is pending, meaning that Thai PM remains at risk of losing his job.
A matter was heard by nine charter court judges on Thursday. By a vote of 6-3, the judges agreed to accept the petition and ordered PM Srettha to provide an explanation for his actions within 15 days.
The Thai court also voted 8-1 to reject a similar petition against Pichit Chuenban, as he resigned from his ministerial post on Tuesday due to the backlash.
