An urgent verbal motion will be submitted to the House of Representatives by a Pheu Thai MP, seeking an investigation into the conduct of a Constitutional Court judge over his recent remark about the People’s party and its receipt of 20 million baht in public donations.
The judge, Udom Sittiwirattham, is one of the Constitutional Court judges who voted to dissolve the Move Forward party, after it was found guilty of attempting to upend the monarchy. The court also debarred the party’s 11 executive committee members from contesting elections for 10 years.
At a recent seminar on the dissolution of the Move Forward party, the judge was quoted to have said: “Frankly speaking, they should thank me for dissolving the party. I helped them collect as much as 20 million baht in donations.”
“This is a major issue, not because of the dissolution of the party, but because of the ethical conduct of a judge,” Pheu Thai party-list MP Adisorn Piengkes said today, adding that he does not find the judge’s remark funny or humorous but contempt for a party, which is not fitting for a judge.
He pointed out that judges, like MPs, senators and ministers, have their own set of ethical standards with which they must comply.
Meanwhile, former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said that someone might file a petition seeking a probe into the ethical conduct of the judge.
Constitutional Court judges, he said, have their own code of conduct, citing Item 17 of the ethical code, which specifies that a judge must refrain from doing anything which may cause damage to the honour of judges, and Item 23, specifying that a judge must respect the human dignity of other people and must treat people with transparency without bias.
The judge’s remark could be used as the basis on which someone could file a petition with the National Anti-Corruption Commission over the judge’s conduct, in accordance with Section 234 of the Constitution, said Somchai.
Former Democrat MP Nipit Intarasombut defended the judge, however, claiming that he had merely cracked a joke and didn’t mean to offend the People’s party.
