Urgent! Constitutional Court holding special meeting on Thursday to consider Prayut case

THE CONSTITUTIONAL Court has convened a special meeting on Thursday, September 8, to consider the case on eight-year tenure of suspended Prime Minister-cum-Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha after receiving clarification from three witnesses, Naewna newspaper said.

This meeting had not been scheduled beforehand with the court having only set a meeting on September 14 to consider the case on whether or not to remove Mr. Niphon Bunyamanee from his position as Deputy Interior Minister.

Mr. Worawit Kangsasithiam, chairman of the Constitutional Court, said the three witnesses who submitted their clarification in the case on Gen. Prayut’s tenure include Prayut himself, Mr. Mechai Ruchuphan, chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, and Mr. Pakorn Nilpraphan, secretary of the Constitution Drafting Committee.

The court will consider whether it has enough clarification and evidence to pass a ruling. If doubts still linger would further evidence and clarification from other witnesses be needed.

Prayut’s legal team, led by Maj. Gen. Wira Rojanawas, had submitted a 30-page clarification to the court on September 1.

The court has to rule when Prayut’s eight-year tenure as prime minister maximally provided by law started and ends. If it was in August 2014 when he assumed the premiership following a coup which he had orchestrated then this should have ended on August 24 this year. If the tenure started in 2017 when the current constitution was promulgated then it ends in 2025. If it began in 2019 when the last general election was held then it ends in 2027.

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Suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Top photo: Matichon, Front Page photo: Sanook.com

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