Thailand’s Constitutional Court has removed suspended Prime Minister
Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office, after finding her guilty of ethical misconduct over a controversial phone call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen.
The ruling held today makes Paetongtarn the fifth Prime Minister stripped off office by Thai judges since 2008.
The nine-judge court ruled that the 39-year-old politician had failed to uphold the ethical standards or demonstrate the integrity required of a Prime Minister during her call with Hun Sen in June to prevent an escalation of a deadly border conflict.
The court said Paetongtarn had put her personal interests over the nation’s interests.
In the leaked conversation, Paetongtarn was heard pandering to Hun Sen and calling him uncle, while criticising a senior Thai army commander and describing him as an opponent.
Today’s verdict is the second of three high-stakes court cases against Paetongtarn and her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.