Thailand’s Constitutional Court has removed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office for appointing a minister with a criminal conviction, throwing the country into renewed political turmoil, Al Jazeera reports.
Judge Punya Udchachon, reading the ruling on Wednesday, said the court voted 5-4 to remove Srettha, whose appointment of former lawyer Pichit Chuenban, jailed for six months in 2008 after a contempt of court conviction, fell short of official moral and ethical standards.
The court ruling follows a petition submitted by 40 senators that called on the court to remove Srettha from office over the appointment. Judges in May accepted the petition but said Srettha could remain in his post while the issue was investigated.
Pichit Chuenban resigned from his role as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday in a bid to protect Srettha.
The real estate tycoon is the fourth Thai prime minister in 16 years to be removed by verdicts of the same court.
Srettha, who did not attend court, told reporters after the ruling that he had not anticipated the decision.
“I respect the verdict. I reiterate that for the almost one year I have been in this role, I have tried with good intentions to lead the country with honesty,” he said.
bd-pratidin/GR
