Bangkok: The Constitutional Court has not yet scheduled a hearing regarding the ministerial status of Phumtham Wechayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and Police Colonel Thawee Sodsong, Minister of Justice. The court has instructed both officials to await the submission of complete evidence from witnesses.
According to Thai News Agency, the Constitutional Court is reviewing a petition submitted by the Senate President. This petition, filed by senators, seeks a ruling under Section 170, paragraph three, in conjunction with Section 42 of the Constitution. It questions whether the ministerial roles of Mr. Phumtham and Police Colonel Thawee have been terminated under Section 170, paragraph one (4), in conjunction with Sections 160 (4) and (5), due to their decision to handle certain criminal offenses as special cases under the Special Investigation Act of 2004 and its amendment, Section 21, paragraph one (2).
The petition alleges that this decision constitutes interference with the Election Commission's duties by using the Department of Special Investigation to influence the scrutiny process involved in selecting senators. Such actions are perceived as harassment and a violation of the principle of separation of powers, as well as the rule of law. The petition asserts that the conduct of both officials fails to meet ethical standards as outlined in Section 160 (4) and (5) of the Constitution, thus leading to the termination of their ministerial status as per Section 170, paragraph one (4), in conjunction with Section 160 (4) and (5).