Constitutional Court removes Pichet from Deputy Speaker over 2026 budget

The Constitutional Court issued its ruling on August 1, after a morning consultation regarding the case filed by Phantin Nuamjerm, an MP from the People’s Party, along with 121 other MPs. They petitioned the Constitutional Court to examine the actions of Pichet Chuamuangpan, the first deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and MP for Chiang Rai from the Pheu Thai Party, accusing him of violating Article 144 of the Constitution.

The court found that Pichet had approved and participated in pushing for three budget projects from the Secretariat of the House of Representatives in the 2025 fiscal year and again in the 2026 fiscal year. These budget amendments were directly related to his constituency in Chiang Rai, which led the court to conclude that his actions involved a conflict of interest and were in violation of the Constitution.

The court stated that Pichet's actions were aimed at benefiting his election campaign, using the budget to gain political advantage in his constituency, thereby violating Article 144, which prohibits members of parliament (MPs) or senators from having a direct or indirect interest in the allocation of public funds.

As a result, the Constitutional Court ruled that Pichet's status as an MP was to be terminated, and his voting rights were revoked for 10 years. 

This ruling is being closely watched as a potential precedent for future cases under Article 144, especially concerning Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is currently under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for her “10,000 Baht Digital Money” policy.