Supreme Court bans 3 ex-Bhumjaithai MPs from politics for 10 years

The court ruled that former Phatthalung MPs Chalong Thirdweerapong and Phumisak Kongmee, and former party-list MP Natee Ratchakitprakarn stand banned from contesting elections and from holding political position from Wednesday in accordance with Article 235 of the Constitution.

The Supreme Court said it had based its ruling on the verdict of the Criminal Court in a parallel case against the three. On May 18 last year, the Criminal Court found the three guilty of giving their MP identification cards to other MPs to vote on their behalf during the deliberations of the 2020 budget bill.

Chalong ThirdweerapongThe Criminal Court sentenced the three to nine months in jail but they are appealing against the verdict.

The Criminal Court found them guilty of allowing other MPs to vote on their behalf when they were absent from the meeting room.

The Supreme Court suspended Chalong and Phumisak as MPs on September 3, 2021 when the National Anti-Corruption Commission filed a lawsuit against them, seeking their ban from politics. Natee quit as an MP before she was sued in the Supreme Court.

Phumisak KongmeeThe Supreme Court said facts from the trial by the Criminal Court showed that the three former MPs committed several ethical violations for failing to preserve national pride and interest and for not performing their duty with honesty.

The Supreme Court said the three former MPs had failed to follow the code of ethics and caused severe damage to the position of MPs.

The court ruled to retroactively disqualify them as MPs on September 3, 2021 when the court suspended them from duty as parliamentarians.

Natee RatchakitprakarnMeanwhile, Bhumjaithai leader and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the ruling would not have any impact on the party’s popularity.

He said he accepted the court’s ruling, though.