Ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra has yet to testify in a case in which he and the ruling Pheu Thai Party are accused of attempting to undermine the constitutional monarchy, as the deadline for public prosecutors to submit a report on the case to the Constitutional Court approaches.
So far, only lawyer Teerayut Suwankesorn, who lodged the petition against Thaksin and the party, and Chousak Sirinil, the Prime Minister’s Office Minister and Pheu Thai’s chief legal expert, have testified at the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG), according to a source familiar with the case.
Among the many allegations in the petition is that Thaksin used the Ministry of Justice under the Pheu Thai-led government to secure an extended stay at the Police General Hospital when he should have been in jail following his conviction for abuse of power last year.
Mr Teerayut, who is also known for filing the complaint that led to the disbandment of the former opposition Move Forward Party, said on Thursday that he gave his statement to the OAG on Oct 30 and that he spent three hours explaining the details.
The lawyer said the officials he met with gave particular attention to Thaksin’s extended stay at the hospital. He told them that he had prepared a list of witnesses for submission to the court if it accepted the petition.
The Constitutional Court has yet to decide whether to accept the petition for review.
The court said that for the benefit of the case, it decided to ask the OAG to submit a report by Nov 11 detailing the actions taken regarding Mr Teerayut’s petition, including whether evidence has been gathered.
Mr Teerayut said the court is expected to meet next Wednesday to decide whether to accept his petition.
He initially submitted the complaint to the OAG on Sept 24, asking it to investigate Thaksin and Pheu Thai and forward the case to the court for a ruling. He filed the complaint directly with the court after the OAG failed to act on his request within 15 days.
In the petition, Mr Teerayut also accused Thaksin of pushing the government to share marine resources in Thai waters with neighbouring Cambodia in a way that does not serve the country’s interests.
The maritime boundary between the two countries remains in dispute, and Pheu Thai is currently seeking to revive negotiations, he said.
