Charter court asked to rule on House committee powers to summon people for questioning

[rooster59]

Charter court asked to rule on House committee powers to summon people for questioning

 

 

The Constitutional Court has been asked to rule whether House or Senate standing committees have the authority to formally summon a person for questioning or to demand documents in the course of its investigations.

 

The issue was raised by Mr. Paiboon Nititawanwith with the Office of the Ombudsmen. The party-list Palang Pracharat MP wanted the Ombudsmen to rule on whether an order of the House of Senate standing committee to summon an individual or to demand documents from a person or an organization, in accordance with Sections 5, 8 and 13 of the Act concerning such orders, is constitutional.

 

Secretary-general of the Ombudsmen’s Office, Mr. Raksakecha Chaechai, said today that the Ombudsmen ruled that a House or Senate standing committee is only empowered to invite someone for questioning or to request documents, but does not have the authority to issue an order summoning someone for questioning or to demand documents.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/charter-court-asked-to-rule-on-house-committee-powers-to-summon-people-for-questioning/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-11-16

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[Chang_paarp]

55 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Secretary-general of the Ombudsmen’s Office, Mr. Raksakecha Chaechai, said today that the Ombudsmen ruled that a House or Senate standing committee is only empowered to invite someone for questioning or to request documents, but does not have the authority to issue an order summoning someone for questioning or to demand documents.

Another wrinkle in the constitution. If that is the case someone did not do their job very well, or possibly too well. 

[Srikcir]

11 hours ago, rooster59 said:

the Ombudsmen ruled that a House or Senate standing committee is only empowered to invite someone for questioning or to request documents, but does not have the authority to issue an order summoning someone for questioning or to demand documents.

The Ombudsmen have no authority to "rule" per se as in the judiciary, legislative or regulatory sense. They can advise, render an opinion, convey an issue to various government agencies. Whatever authority the Ombudsmen had prior to the 2014 military coup had been crushed by the Prayut junta regime.