NLA president to submit petition for Constitutional review of anti-graft law
National Legislative Assembly President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said on Wednesday that he had received a petition filed by 32 NLA members requesting that the Constitutional Court rule on the constitutionality of the anti-graft law which waives qualifications prohibited under the charter.
Pornpetch said that, as the NLA president, he would forward the petition to the Court on Thursday or Friday for a ruling. The NLA would have to inform Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of the need to delay sending him the law for his submission for royal endorsement, he said.
Pornpetch said he has no idea how long the court deliberation would take, but that constitution-related cases take about one month to resolve.
NLA member Taweesak Sootakawatin said his fellow legislators wished the court to rule on a single point regarding waiving qualifications prohibited under the charter.
The NLA recently passed the organic law governing the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), with a change to waive qualifications prohibited under the charter. The Constitution Drafting Commission had drafted the law to allow the NACC commissioners to remain in office if they met qualifications addressed in the charter.
NACC President Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said he is not worried about the petition by the NLA members and if the Court invited him to explain the issue, he would cooperate.
Watcharapol, and some other NACC commissioners have had their qualifications questioned when they were compared to the qualifications addressed in the charter. Though they either lacked qualifications or had qualifications that are prohibited under the charter, they were able to remain in their posts due to the NLA’s law waiving the requirements.
Watcharapol is known to have close ties to Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan, previously serving as a deputy secretary general of the PM’s Office, attached to Prawit.