By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER SRETTHA Thavisin today (May 28) declined to comment on hearsay that most of the 40 senators who had filed an impeachment lawsuit against him in court were loyal to Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan.
The Pheu Thai-attached prime minister only told reporters he would not mention any individuals allegedly involved in the impeachment case lodged by those senators against him and already proceeded to the Constitutional Court with himself being given a 15-day time to file an affidavit to defend himself.
The legally embattled prime minister maintained that no more accusation should be made against the leadership of the Palang Pracharath which is currently one of the Pheu Thai-led coalition partners whilst he himself will remain tightlipped over it.
Most of the coup junta-named senators were either allegedly loyal to former army chief-turned-prime minister/de facto Ruam Thai Sang Chart boss Prayut Chan-o-cha or Prawit.
Srettha has been accused of perpetrating a “severe breach” to the junta-designed constitution and code of political ethics by naming Pichit, a former lawyer for the billionaire, politically powerful Thaksin, the portfolioless minister who has finally stepped down in the face of the impeachment bid.
According to government critics, the prime minister had allegedly realised the severely unethical acts earlier committed by Pichit but persistently named him one of his Pheu Thai-attached cabinet members, thus prompting the senators to file the impeachment bid against the both of them.
If finally found guilty by the Constitutional Court, the Pheu Thai-attached, real estate mogul-turned-prime minister could possibly be deprived of his current status as head of government immediately and have his suffrage rights to exercise at any levels prohibited for a number of years.
However, the court verdict on the impeachment case against the prime minister is largely expected in the next few months.
In 2008, Pichit had been found guilty of perpetrating a contempt of the court in an attempted payoff with two million baht in kickback cash literally contained in food bags and handed to administrative officials of the Supreme Court, thus being delivered a six-month jail sentence.
The accused of such legal wrongdoings could be practically barred from assuming a political position at any levels either for a number of years or for life.
CAPTION:
Top and Front Page: Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Photos: Thai Rath
Insert: Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan. Photo: Thai Rath
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