Phumtham confident Paetongtarn will survive Constitutional Court case
Phumtham expresses confidence that Paetongtarn Shinawatra will overcome her Constitutional Court case and return as prime minister after suspension.
Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on Wednesday voiced confidence that suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will overcome her legal battle in the Constitutional Court and return to lead the government.
Phumtham, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, made the remarks at the Interior Ministry in response to reporters’ questions about a dinner gathering of coalition leaders on Tuesday evening. Paetongtarn and her father, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, were both in attendance.
Paetongtarn maintains innocence
When asked whether Paetongtarn was confident she could return to work as prime minister, Phumtham said:
“The prime minister didn’t think she did anything wrong. She has explained it clearly to the public. She has repeatedly said she simply wanted to find a way to persuade Hun Sen to join us in resolving the tensions.”
Court review over phone call with Hun Sen
Paetongtarn has been suspended from her duties pending a judicial review by the Constitutional Court following a petition filed by 36 senators. The complaint accuses her of dishonesty and violating ethical standards.
The case centres on a leaked audio recording of a phone conversation between Paetongtarn and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen on June 15, 2025. In the call—intended to ease border tensions—Paetongtarn allegedly referred to Hun Sen as "uncle" and called the commander of Thailand’s Second Army Area “the other side.”
Phumtham, who was present during the call, clarified that it was informal and initiated by Hun Sen, not Paetongtarn.
Phumtham dismisses concerns over his own legal case
Asked whether he was concerned about a separate lawsuit filed against him by a group of senators, Phumtham said he was not worried and believed the case was a distraction from a larger issue involving alleged voting collusion by the same senators.
The senators accused Phumtham of abusing his authority to influence the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) into accepting the collusion case as a special investigation.
Phumtham rejected the claim, explaining that he did not interfere with the DSI's operations. As the ex-officio chairman of the special cases committee, he chaired the meeting that day and merely exercised his duty to consider which cases warranted special status under DSI jurisdiction.
