Court disqualifies Pheu Thai MP for misuse of funds
Mr Pichet, who served as first deputy House speaker, was accused of influencing the approval of three budget proposals from the Secretariat of the House of Representatives. The case was filed by People's Party MP Bhuntin Noumjerm and 120 other MPs.
In its ruling, the court found that Mr Pichet, from the governing Pheu Thai Party, had a role in pushing the three projects and used his authority as both an MP and deputy speaker to influence budget decisions for personal political gain.
His action was a breach of Section 144 which prohibits lawmakers from altering or adding to a budget bill in a manner that leads to the misuse of state funds.
The court ordered that Mr Pichet's MP status be terminated, effective from Aug 1, and revoked his right to contest elections for 10 years. As a result, he also lost his deputy speaker's post.
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