With the ruling on Friday, Thai judges have removed Paetongtarn as their fifth prime minister since 2008.
The 39-year-old politician’s complaint to the nine-judge court stemmed from her conversation with Hun Sen in June regarding efforts to stop a deadly border conflict from escalating. She also failed to uphold the ethical standards or demonstrate the integrity required of a prime minister.
The court alleged that Paetongtarn had prioritized the country over her own, and that her actions had harmed Thailand’s reputation.
In the conversation that was leaked, Paetongtarn was allegedly pandering to Hun Sen and calling him an “uncle” while also criticizing a senior Thai army officer and labeling him an “oppositor.”
In a matter of days, the trial’s outcome had halted Paetongtarn’s suspension until July 1.
The second high-stakes court case against Paetongtarn and her father, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, came on Friday.
The 76-year-old billionaire served a reduced sentence for corruption charges after being cleared of a charge of insulting the country’s powerful monarchy last week. He now faces another court case related to his stay in a hospital wing in 2023.
Source: Aljazeera
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