The Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed a petition that sought to prevent former Prime Minister and billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra from influencing the ruling Pheu Thai Party and conspiring with it to overthrow the constitutional monarchy.
All nine judges concurred that the petition, submitted by lawyer Teerayut Suwankesorn, failed to meet the court’s conditions and criteria. It accused Thaksin of attempting to destabilize the monarchy and exert influence over Pheu Thai.
Moreover, the court, with a majority vote of 7-2, ruled against the accusation that Thaksin favored Cambodia by planning joint exploitation of gas and other resources in the contested maritime zone between the two nations.
Thaksin, the father of current Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has continually refuted claims of manipulating Pheu Thai since his return from a 15-year self-imposed exile in 2023.
This denial follows the Office of the Attorney General’s rejection of Mr. Teerayut’s petition under Section 49 of the charter. This section prohibits any act to overthrow the democratic regime under the monarchy and allows for the filing of motions to the Constitutional Court if such acts are observed.
After completing a royally-commuted jail term, 75-year-old Thaksin has been actively campaigning for Pheu Thai in local elections and offering policy recommendations to the government to rejuvenate the faltering economy.
Under Thai law, any political party found to be under the influence or control of non-members faces dissolution.
Earlier, the charter court had dissolved Move Forward, Thailand’s largest opposition party, for its campaign advocating the amendment of Section 112 of the Criminal Code, known as the lese majeste law.
Despite winning the general election last year, Move Forward was blocked from forming a government by pro-royalist and military-backed factions, which subsequently formed a coalition with former adversary Pheu Thai.
