Senators are ready to address the Constitutional Court in a case involving a petition against Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's appointment of controversial politician Pichit Chuenban as a PM's Office minister, should they be called upon by court officials.
Prapan Koonmee, one of 40 caretaker senators who submitted the petition, said the suit highlights the ethical standards of cabinet ministers as well as a previous ruling by the Supreme Court against Pichit for contempt of court in connection with an attempted bribery case.
Pol Gen Chatchawal Suksomjit, another senator, said the 40 senators are ready to provide explanations about the case if the Constitutional Court requests them to do so.
On Thursday, the Constitutional Court accepted a petition seeking Mr Srettha's ouster over Pichit's appointment.
The 40 senators had previously asked the Constitutional Court if Mr Srettha and Pichit should be removed from office under Section 170 (4) and (5) of the charter, which deals with the ethics of cabinet ministers, pending a decision on whether Mr Srettha had violated regulations.
The appointment of Pichit, who once served as ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's lawyer as well as Mr Srettha's adviser, as PM's Office minister has raised questions about his eligibility to serve as a cabinet minister.
This is because he served jail time for contempt of court in connection with an attempted bribery case when he represented Thaksin in a controversial land deal case in 2008.
On June 25, 2008, the Supreme Court sentenced Pichit and two of his colleagues to six months in prison after they tried to bribe Supreme Court officials by handing them a paper bag containing 2 million baht in cash a fortnight earlier.
All three represented Thaksin and his ex-wife, Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra, in the Ratchadaphisek land case, for which Thaksin was sentenced to two years in prison in 2008.
Meanwhile, Chulapong Yukate, a Move Forward Party list MP, on Friday urged ex-deputy prime minister Wissanu Krea-ngam to quit politics for the sake of his health instead of advising the prime minister in his legal battle.
Mr Wissanu recently said that he has to undergo dialysis for kidney disease.
"He should spend more time looking after his health," Mr Chulapong, who was one of Mr Wissanu's law students at Chulalongkorn University, said.