Thailand's Constitutional Court will decide on Wednesday whether Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin should be kicked out of office over his appointment of a cabinet minister with a criminal conviction. Srettha is accused of breaching ethics rules by appointing Pichit Chuenban, a lawyer closely associated with the family of billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to his cabinet. The ruling, expected around 3:00 pm (0800 GMT) comes a week after the same court dissolved the main opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) and banned its former leader from politics for 10 years.
Thailand has a long history of instability and judicial involvement in politics, with the Constitutional Court dismissing prime ministers in the past. However, observers say the signs look positive for Srettha, who has denied any wrongdoing. Pichit, who was sentenced to six months' jail in 2008 for a graft-related offence, quit the cabinet in a bid to save Srettha but the court pressed ahead with a case initiated by a complaint by senators appointed by Thailand's former junta.
Srettha said he was getting on with his job as prime minister and did not plan to watch the judges give their ruling. "I have done my best and sent a closing statement, now it depends on the justice system," he said on Tuesday. "I have a schedule of meetings with government agencies.
I believe the team will inform me (about the verdict)." Srettha came to power less than a year ago at the head of a coalition led by his Pheu Thai p.