Court to decide on taking Thaksin case by Nov 22
text size

Court to decide on taking Thaksin case by Nov 22

Listen to this article
Play
Pause
Thaksin Shinawatra at the Criminal Court in Bangkok in August. Apichart Jinakul
Thaksin Shinawatra at the Criminal Court in Bangkok in August. Apichart Jinakul

The attorney general has submitted documents to the Constitutional Court regarding the case in which former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is accused of asserting influence over the Pheu Thai Party.

The court is expected to make a decision on whether it will accept the case filed by lawyer Teerayut Suwankesorn for deliberation on Nov 22.

The documents were submitted within the given deadline of Nov 11.

The lawyer requested the court to make a ruling under Section 49 of the constitution, which alleged that Thaksin and Pheu Thai acted jointly to overthrow the democratic system with the King as Head of State.

Through the alleged collusion, Thaksin was accused of manipulating Pheu Thai, the party now led by his daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. However, Thaksin is not a member of the party and is barred by law from meddling in its business.

The court requested details on what actions had been taken by the accused, which constituted grounds for the allegation, and what evidence had been gathered so far.

According to the reports, Attorney General Phairach Pornsomboonsiri signed and submitted related documents to the court. The documents contained statements from both the petitioner and the accused without offering any opinions on the prosecutors' part.

A source at the court said earlier that the working team had invited Mr Teerayut, Thaksin and representatives of Pheu Thai to provide further statements to clarify the facts and gather evidence.

Mr Teerayut gave his additional statement on Oct 30, while the party sent its representative, Chousak Sirinil, the Prime Minister's Office Minister, on Nov 5. However, there is no report of Thaksin having spoken to the OAG.

Mr Teerayut noted that he had just learned from the news that the OAG had submitted the documents to the Constitutional Court without first notifying him.

According to the source, the court initially planned to review the petition and decide whether or not to accept it for deliberation at the judges' meeting on Nov 13.

However, the judges will be away on overseas trips, so the decision will likely be made on Nov 22, said the source.

Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong, in his capacity as Pheu Thai secretary-general, said Thaksin has no real involvement with the party.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (29)