Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been removed from the post after the Thai Constitutional Court found him guilty of violating the constitution.
The verdict, which was delivered on Wednesday, stated that the Thai PM is guilty of violating the Constitution for appointing Pichit Chuenban as PM’s Office minister in May.
The ruling by the Thai Constitutional Court has stripped Srettha of the the premiership status, meaning he needs to immediately resign as the Prime Minister Thailand.
Along with PM, the cabinet has also been removed from the office. The court’s judges voted 5-4 against the now former PM who they said had been dishonest following his appointment of Phichit.
As per the Thai Constitution, any minister must "not have behaviour which is a serious violation of or failure to comply with ethical standards". The constitution further implies that if any minister breaches the rule, their tenure must be terminated immediately.
In May 2024, a petition filed by 40 senators sought for Thavisin's removal as the prime minister, alleging a violation of the ethics rule by hiring Pichit Chuenban, a former lawyer with a criminal past as the minister of the Prime Minister's Office.
Before Pichit was appointed to the Prime Minister's office, he worked as an advisor to the PM. However, long before his stint with Thavisin, Pichit served as a lawyer for former PM Thaksin Shinawatra in the "lunchbox cash" scandal.
The lawyer was found guilty of attempting to bribe the Supreme Court and was sentenced to six months in prison.
Despite the ruling of the Constitutional Court, Thavisin has denied any wrongdoing and stated that Pichit hiring was done legally and carefully.
Nonetheless, the former Thai PM has stated he would respect the ruling of the court. The Constitutional court's verdict on Thavisin's removal is final and cannot be appealed.
