Bangkok: The Constitutional Court has issued a decisive ruling to remove Mr. Pichet Chuamuangphan from his position as a member of the House of Representatives and revoke his voting rights for a decade. Mr. Pichet, who served as the First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and was a Chiang Rai MP for the Pheu Thai Party, faced accusations of abusing his power to manipulate budget proposals in a manner that aimed to enhance his popularity rather than align with standard parliamentary procedures.
According to Thai News Agency, the case was brought before the Constitutional Court following a petition by Panthil Nuamchim, a Bangkok MP for the Prachachon Party. The petition questioned the amendments made to the 2025 and 2026 Budget Acts, specifically whether these alterations involved any direct or indirect participation of MPs, senators, or committee members in budget utilization, contrary to the stipulations of Article 144, paragraph two of the Constitution.
The court's investigation revealed substantial evidence against Mr. Pichet, indicating his involvement in budget proposals for three specific projects: the Youth Potential Development Project, the Public Participation Promotion Project, and the Women's Political Promotion Project. These projects were initially proposed with Mr. Pichet's direct or indirect involvement in the 2025 budget and were set to continue into the 2026 budget.
Despite the withdrawal of the projects and budget reduction requests during the fiscal year 2026 committee discussions, the Constitutional Court determined that the actions had already been committed and were in violation of constitutional provisions. The court emphasized that such actions by a member of the House of Representatives are not in line with the duties and obligations outlined in the Constitution, which require serving the public interest and adhering to the rule of law.
The ruling highlighted Mr. Pichet's misuse of his dual roles as both a member and the First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. His actions to propose and amend budgets for the projects in question were deemed to be a misuse of parliamentary power aimed at benefiting his constituency in Chiang Rai Province.
The Constitutional Court's decision mandates the termination of Mr. Pichet's membership in the House of Representatives and imposes a 10-year ban on his eligibility to run for election. The ruling further requires the organization of a constituency election within 45 days to fill the vacant seat, effective from the date of the ruling.
In the courtroom, Mr. Phanthil Nuamchim, the petitioner, was present, whereas Mr. Pichet did not attend. Instead, he was represented by Mr. Methee Jaisamut, his appointed proxy.