The Constitutional Court has rejected a petition asking it to rule on the eligibility of Thamanat Prompow holding a seat in parliament due to his wife's business dealings with The Port Authority of Thailand (PAT).
Mr Thamanat is the Palang Pracharath MP for Phayao province.
Parliament President Chuan Leekpai submitted the petition to the court after receiving support from 54 MPs, more than the required one-tenth of sitting members of the House.
Thamanat: Seat doubt rejected
According to the petition, Mr Thamanat, who is also deputy agriculture and cooperatives minister, is ineligible to hold a seat in the House under Sections 101 and 184 of the constitution due to the potential of a monopoly arising, caused by his wife's business.
Based on documents attached to the petition, Mr Thamanat's wife holds shares in Klongtoey Market (2551) Co Ltd, and the company entered into a land lease contract with the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT).
In an announcement issued yesterday, the court said it found the contract with PAT is not monopolistic. Therefore, there is no reason for Mr Thamanat to lose his status as an MP.
Before the court can decide whether to accept the petition for consideration, it must take into account the legality of the petition submission process and the reasons given in the petition, it said.
The court dismissed the MPs' petition.