
Court to issue Pichet verdict on Friday
The court announced Wednesday it had ordered the inclusion of both parties' closing statements in the case file, ruling the evidence and legal arguments were sufficient for a decision.
Final deliberations will begin at 9.30am, with the verdict scheduled for 3pm.
The case was filed by People's Party MP Bhuntin Noumjerm and 120 other MPs who alleged Mr Pichet had influenced the approval of three budget proposals from the Secretariat of the House of Representatives.
He said Mr Pichet, a Pheu Thai MP, directed his adviser to draft seminar proposals focused primarily on his home province, later reallocating the funds to other initiatives.
The actions may contravene Section 144 of the constitution, which prohibits lawmakers from altering or adding to the budget bill in a manner that leads to the misuse of state funds, according to Mr Bhuntin.
Mr Pichet's proposals drew objections from the Office of Policy and Planning and Office of Finance for not complying with parliamentary regulations and may breach constitutional spending provisions.

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