Thai court to rule next month on case seeking PM’s dismissal

Thailand’s top court will rule next month on a case seeking to oust Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin over his appointment of a cabinet minister with a criminal conviction.

In May the court accepted a petition submitted by 40 former senators, to remove Srettha from office under ethics rules.

The case centres on Pichit Chuenban, appointed minister in a recent reshuffle, who served six months in jail for contempt of court in 2008.

Pichit, a former lawyer with close links to billionaire ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, later resigned from the cabinet in a bid to protect Srettha.

The constitutional court will give a verdict on Srettha’s case on August 14, it said in a statement.

Srettha, who has denied any wrongdoing, is also from Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai party, and became PM after forming a coalition with army-linked parties following elections in 2023.