Meet the judges deciding Move Forward Party’s fate

The Constitutional Court has convened today to deliver a verdict on the Move Forward dissolution case filed by the Election Commission (EC).

The EC wants the party dissolved and 11 party executives disqualified because it claims the party’s campaign to amend Article 112 of the Penal Code or the lese majeste law undermined the monarchy and intended to overthrow it.

As per the 2017 Constitution, the Constitutional Court must comprise a panel of nine judges. Of them, three should be Supreme Court judges selected through a secret vote, two Supreme Administrative Court judges selected via a secret ballot, two law experts and two experts in the field of political science, public administration or other sciences.

The current panel of Constitutional Court judges is made up of:

President Nakharin Mektrairat: Political Science professor

Udom Sitthiwiratham: Former senior Supreme Court judge

Wirun Saengthien: Former senior Supreme Court judge and former chief of the court’s Division of Commerce and Economy

Jiraniti Hawanont: Former Supreme Court judge

Panya Udchachon: Legal and academic expert, former Constitutional Court secretary-general

Noppadol Theppitak: Former deputy permanent secretary of the Foreign Ministry and previously an ambassador to Laos, Egypt and New Zealand

Banjongsak Wongpracha: Former Supreme Administrative Court judge

Sumath Roygulcharoen: Former Supreme Administrative Court judge

Udom Rattamrit: Former dean of Thammasat University’s Faculty of Law, former Council of State member

Previous Constitutional Court verdicts related to Move Forward this year:

January 24: The court’s judges voted 8:1 that former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s MP status could not be terminated under Articles 101(6) and 98(3) of the Constitution even though he holds 42,000 shares in ITV Public Company Limited because the company no longer operates as a media business. The judges said ITV retains its company status solely to litigate with the Prime Minister’s Office and does not have any income from the media business.

January 31: All nine judges voted unanimously to rule that the Move Forward Party’s electoral campaign advocating the amendment of the lese majeste law was tantamount to undermining Thailand’s democratic system with the king as head of state. The court ordered the party to cease any activity, publication of articles or advertising related to amending Article 112 of the Penal Code.