JURIST - Paper Chase: Thailand constitutional court turns down PM impeachment case

[JURIST] The Constitutional Court of Thailand [official website], the country's highest court, decided Thursday not to hear a petition [JURIST report] to impeach Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra [official profile], ruling 8-6 that the petition did not clearly state how the Prime Minister was personally involved in a deal where his family sold its controlling stake in telecommunications giant Shin Corporation [corporate website] to a Singapore state investment agency. The petition alleged that the prime minister violated a conflict of interest provision in Thailand's constitution [text] by managing the affairs of a company.

Public dissatisfaction with Thaksin peaked with the announcement of the impeachment petition. Many critics have demanded that the prime minister step down from office, saying his latest deal effectively transferred national telecommunications assets to Singapore, and that the Shin Corporation may have been guilty of insider trading and tax avoidance while completing the deal. Twenty-eight senators signed the petition to impeach the prime minister, who was re-elected to office last year. AP has more.

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