In a major political shake-up, the first deputy House speaker and MP for Chiang Rai, was disqualified by the Constitutional Court.
Found guilty of misusing public funds to influence budget decisions for personal gain, Pichet Chuamuangphan is now barred from holding office for 10 years and faces a by-election.
Yesterday, August 1, the Constitutional Court delivered a bombshell ruling, disqualifying Pichet from his position as Chiang Rai MP following a breach of Section 144 of the Constitution. The court found that Pichet, who also served as the first deputy House speaker, had misused his authority to influence budget proposals, thus violating the constitutional ban on misusing state resources.
The case stemmed from accusations made by People’s Party MP Bhuntin Noumjerm, who, with the backing of 120 other MPs, accused Pichet of using his political power to sway the approval of three budget proposals from the Secretariat of the House of Representatives for personal and political gain.
According to the court’s findings, Pichet leveraged his dual roles as both an MP and deputy speaker to manipulate budget decisions, which is strictly prohibited under Section 144. This section of the Constitution is designed to prevent lawmakers from altering or adding to budget bills in ways that could result in the misuse of public funds.
The court’s decision was swift and severe. As a result of his actions, Pichet’s status as an MP was revoked, effective yesterday.
Bangkok Post reported that he was banned from running for office in any future elections for the next 10 years. The scandal also led to his removal from his role as deputy speaker of the House.
In light of his disqualification, the Election Commission now faces the task of organising a by-election in Chiang Rai within 45 days. This ruling is expected to spark political ripples across the nation, with many now questioning the integrity of lawmakers in positions of power.
The story Chiang Rai MP booted over budget scandal as seen on Thaiger News.
