Ruangkrai asks NACC to investigate Pichai over Thaksin’s invitation to official meeting
Ruangkrai urges NACC to probe Finance Minister Pichai for inviting Thaksin to official Cabinet meeting, citing breach of ethics law.
Serial petitioner Ruangkrai Leekitwattana has submitted a petition to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), requesting an investigation into Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira for inviting former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to attend an official government meeting.
Alleged breach of ethical standards
Ruangkrai alleged that Pichai had violated the Ethical Standards Act for Holders of Positions in Independent Organisations B.E. 2561 (2018) by inviting Thaksin to a meeting of government negotiators and prime ministerial advisers. The meeting, held at the Ban Phitsanulok residence on Friday, focused on Thailand’s economic response to retaliatory US import tariffs.
Ruangkrai noted that Pichai had publicly admitted to inviting Thaksin to the meeting, prompting him to send the petition to the NACC via EMS on Sunday.
Potential violations of five key articles
According to Ruangkrai, allowing an outsider to join a high-level policy meeting on national issues could constitute a breach of several ethical articles. He urged the NACC to investigate Pichai’s conduct in line with the following:
Article 8:
Must perform duties with honesty and integrity, and must not seek undue benefits for oneself or others, nor engage in or condone conduct that allows others to exploit one's position for improper gain.
Article 11:
Must not engage in any act that creates a conflict between personal interest and the public interest, whether directly or indirectly.
Article 12:
Must uphold the rule of law and conduct oneself in accordance with the moral and ethical standards of society.
Article 14:
Must strictly preserve the confidentiality of meetings and deliberations, and must respect the majority resolution as well as the reasoning of all parties.
Article 17:
Must refrain from any act that would tarnish the dignity or integrity of the position held.
Previous court ruling cited as precedent
In his petition, Ruangkrai referenced a past ruling by the Supreme Court’s ethical standards division in a similar case, arguing that this provides grounds for the NACC to accept his complaint.
He further alleged that Pichai’s actions had undermined the credibility of the Cabinet. If left unchecked, Ruangkrai warned, it could set a precedent for other ministers to involve unauthorised individuals in official meetings.
