The Constitutional Court's order for Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong to suspend his duties in overseeing the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has created public anxiety over a crisis of trust in the Upper House.
The charter court's ruling on Wednesday came in response to a petition lodged by senators accusing the justice minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai of meddling in a probe into alleged vote-rigging in the latest Senate election.
Both ministers reportedly ordered the DSI to pursue money laundering cases related to allegations of vote-buying involving 92 senators during last June's polls.
Scores of senators have been accused by petitioners of rigging the election.
As most of the winning senators are aligned with the Bhumjaithai Party, analysts see the ongoing wrestling in the Upper Chamber as a proxy war between the ruling Pheu Thai Party and its major coalition partner.
The court, while sparing Mr Phumtham, said there were sufficient grounds to suspect Pol Col Tawee may have used his authority to influence the DSI's actions. It said this could undermine the principle of the separation of powers and violate the rule of law.
The court said it believed the Election Commission (EC) should be handling this case of alleged election fraud.
While the spotlight falls on the justice minister and the DSI, the public knows the EC is heavily involved.
The latest Senate election was riddled with problems.
For a start, there were complaints of unclear poll rules that enabled people with questionable qualifications and backgrounds to join the race -- and win.
One glaring example of this is Sen Keskamol Pleansamai, who was accused of deceiving people about her educational credentials while running for the Senate last year.
There have also been complaints about the EC's reported lack of efficiency.
A group of reserve senators who detected misdeeds in the poll initially filed complaints with the EC. After months of waiting, however, they had to seek help from other agencies.
Needless to say, the EC should take this opportunity to correct its mistakes.
According to the poll agency, all senators suspected in the case have clarified their positions.
An EC committee and investigators will have 90 days to work on the evidence before issuing their opinion and submitting it to the EC secretary-general, who will have another 60 days to review it.
Early this week, the EC summoned six of 53 suspected senators for an inquiry. They are Alongkot Vorakee, Chokchai Kittithanesuan, Jirasak Chookhwamdee, Pibulat Haruehanprakan, Wuttichart Kalyanamitra and Phisut Rattanawong.
Yet, it's too early for the public to be optimistic.
After all, investigating election fraud is time-consuming.
Sen Keskamol's case alone has taken the EC almost a year to wrap up. Just this week, it was preparing to ask the Supreme Court to remove her from her position.
The EC should accelerate this long-overdue investigation. Ittiporn Boonpracong, its chairman, has already said the DSI has access to more comprehensive evidence that should facilitate a faster pace.
The EC must also dig deep and get to the bottom of things. A transparent and straightforward probe will clean up not only the image of the Senate but also of the EC itself.