House Speaker confirms EC, Supreme Court can determine MP status

Tanakorn Sangiam

 

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - The House of Representative speaker has nominated the Election Commission (EC) to determine a house member’s status when convicted of a crime, confirming only the EC or Supreme Court can make that call.

 

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Chuan Leekpai revealed today that the Secretariat of the House of Representatives has replied to a letter from the Election Commission on the question of whether Mr Nawat Tohcharoensuk, an MP for Khon Kaen from Phua Thai Party, remains an MP after being convicted of murder by a Thai court. He has been sentenced to death and is now in prison.

 

In the letter, the House of Representatives clarifies that it has no power to determine MP status, or whether or not the MP in question should loose his seat, as the determination is the responsibility of a constitutional organization such as the EC to make the final judgement and call a by-election. The EC can file the case with the Constitution Court for interpretation if needed. MPs can also ask the Constitution Court to consider the case by submitting signatures, at a minimum of one for every 10 MPs, through the House Speaker. There has been no such request in the house so far.

 

The House Speaker has accepted a request from the opposition to take five days to consider the matter in the upcoming extraordinary House of Representatives session to review the drafted 2020 fiscal year budget, saying that it should take no more than two days to review the first matter, however MPs will be allowed to freely discuss the second aspect, a process which should take no more than three days, if the government and opposition whips manage the time properly.

 

He then declined to comment on rumors regarding vote buying among opposition MPs to support the government coalition when voting to pass the budget bill.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2019-09-29

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Five days to refer the status of an MP who has been found guilty of murder to the EC or constitutional court seems a little excessive. It would seem the members of parliament are still struggling with the concept they are not immune to prosecution.

Let him stay on he's in good company along side Heroin traffickers, human traffickers and other assorted criminal riff raff. 

 

Can I have a couple of minutes to get my head around this please................

 

Okay I've had a real good thunk about this, a Member of Parliament has been found guilty of murder and is currently in prison, did I get that bit right ? Oh I did, good, so why on God's green planet do they have to debate as to whether he can maintain his MP status ??? Sack the piece of carp, strip him of all his worldly goods, in fact strip him down to his underwear and let him rot in jail for life.

 

Same goes for that other heroin smuggling (and possibly) murdering goon currently still in office, this country is beyond belief at times it really is.