The legal team of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was removed from office by the Constitutional Court last week, submitted a petition to the court yesterday, asking it to revoke the decision based on, what it claims was, an unlawful judicial process.
The team claim that Sarawut Songsivilai was granted a royal appointment as a Constitutional Court judge on August 29, replacing Punya Udchachon, whose nine-year term had expired.
This appointment took effect on the same day as the decision was read on the matter concerning Paetongtarn’s controversial conversation with Cambodia’s Hun Sen.
The legal team claim that, on that very day, Punya still participated in Paetongtarn’s case, raising legal concerns over the validity of the proceedings and the ruling and argue that the participation of a judge, whose term had already expired, could render the process unlawful.
They asked the court to invalidate the decision and restart the case, citing precedent. In March 2024 the Constitutional Court annulled proceedings and reopened deliberations after a royal command appointing new court members took effect.
According to Paetongtarn’s legal team, the precedent provides sufficient grounds to request that her case be reconsidered under proper constitutional procedures.
Meanwhile, an informed source at the court told Thai PBS that Sarawut needs to attend a swearing-in ceremony to complete his appointment and that he was not on the panel at the beginning of Paetongtarn’s case, so he could not have taken part in the case.
