The Constitutional Court today rejected three petitions, submitted separately by Pheu Thai MPs, including former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, challenging the legitimacy of the court’s ruling on August 29 removing her as prime minister, over the phone conversation between her and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.
The petitions claimed that the term of one of the nine Constitutional Court judges, Punya Udchachon, had already expired when the court delivered its ruling on 29. They also claimed that Sarawut Songsivilai was appointed a new charter court judge by a Royal Command and he should have been involved in the delivery of the ruling.
The court explained, however, that the Office of the Constitutional Court received a formal letter from the secretariat of the Senate on September 1, informing the court that Sarawut was appointed as a new judge by a Royal Command on August 30, not August 29, as claimed by the petitioners.
The court voted 6:3 to find Paetongtarn guilty of gross ethical misconduct in relating to the conversation with Hun Sen. Punya was one of the six judges who voted to remove her from office.
