Thai court sacks PM over ethics case

BANGKOK: Thailand´s Constitutional Court sacked Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Wednesday, branding him dishonest in a ruling in an ethics case that throws the kingdom into fresh political turmoil. The judges ruled 5-4 that Srettha had breached regulations by appointing a cabinet minister with a criminal conviction.

The ruling comes a week after the same court dissolved the main opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) and banned its former leader from politics for 10 years.

Srettha´s appointment showed he “has no honesty and breached ethical standards”, Judge Punya Udchachon said in reading the court´s judgment that “the ministerial position of the prime minister is terminated under the constitution”. The court ruled that Srettha must have known about lawyer Pichit Chuenban´s 2008 conviction when he appointed him, Punya said. Srettha, 62, leaves office after less than a year, the third prime minister from the Pheu Thai party to be kicked out by the Constitutional Court. The former property tycoon said he was “sad” to be labelled dishonest but would abide by the court´s 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,” Srettha told reporters outside his office.