EC, court urged to check qualifications of new PM’s Office minister

Pichit was among six faces added to the new Cabinet under Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin after the first reshuffle of his administration. In the roster announced by the government on Sunday, he replaced Puangpetch Chunla-ead as PM’s Office minister.

The three networks submitting the appeal are the Network of Students and Citizens for Thailand's Reform, the People's Centre to Protect the Monarchy, and the Dhamma Team.

Pichit Chaimongkol, leader of the Network of Students and Citizens for Thailand's Reform, said Pichit Chuenban should not be qualified to serve as a minister, since he was once jailed for six months for attempting to bribe judges with 2 million baht in cash in a case against former PM Thaksin Shinawatra in 2008.

Pichit Chuenban is a lawyer seen as the most trusted by the Shinawatra family. He was assigned to head all the defence teams since the 2006 coup against former prime minister Thaksin.

“Being sentenced to a jail term should disqualify him under Section 160 (5) of the Constitution,” Pichit Chaimongkol said. That section stipulates that a minister must not exhibit behaviour that is a serious violation of or failure to comply with ethical standards.

He added that Pichit’s conviction also led to him failing to renew his attorney-at-law licence three times for ethical reasons.

“Pichit had been proposed as a minister candidate in PM Srettha’s first cabinet, but was rejected due to having prohibited qualifications. I don’t know how he could be nominated again, so I urge the EC and the court to look into it,” Pichit Chaimongkol said.

He added that he is planning to file a petition to the National Anti-Corruption Commission to launch a probe against Srettha for selecting an unqualified candidate as a minister, which could be a serious breach of ethics for the prime minister.