Court gives MFP final deadline
The Constitutional Court yesterday agreed to extend the deadline for the Move Forward Party (MFP) to submit documents to defend itself in the party dissolution case by another 15 days.
The opposition party now has until June 2 to submit its written defence. It is the third and final extension granted to the MFP, accused by the Election Commission (EC) of being involved in an act deemed hostile to the democratic regime with the King as head of state.
The EC petitioned for the MFP’s dissolution after a Constitutional Court ruling on Jan 31 that said the MFP’s push for changes to Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law, indicated an intention to undermine the constitutional monarchy. The EC said the court’s ruling presented grounds for dissolution.
The court accepted the EC’s dissolution petition on April 3 and granted a 15-day extension twice at the party’s request before yesterday’s final extension.
In other news, the court has rejected an EC petition seeking a ruling on the qualifications of former MFP MP for Rayong, Nakhonchai Khunnarong.
The court said Mr Nakhonchai had already quit as an MP when the EC submitted the petition, so there were no more grounds for the court to review the case.
Mr Nakhonchai resigned in August last year after admitting he had been convicted of theft and served 18 months in prison 24 years ago.
The EC held a by-election on Sept 10 to fill the vacant seat and launched an investigation in which it found the politician ineligible to run for a House seat and decided to take legal action and make him pay for the by-election expenses.
The poll agency also agreed to ask the court to rule on Mr Nakhonchai’s qualifications and strip him of the right to contest the polls.