PM Samak forced to step down

Bangkok (The Nation): Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has lost his post and his cabinet will function as a caretaker cabinet following this afternoon’s Constitution Court verdict that the PM is guilty of violating the nation’s charter.

Six judges considered Samak to be the “employee” while three others considered him a “business partner” of a TV studio, a constitutional offence in both cases.

The court said evidence presented by Samak that he was only given transport fees for hosting the show “contradicted” payment evidence by the studio, Face Media.

The court went strong on the principles laid down by the Constitution against conflicts of interest. The judges pointed out that Samak’s defense, using definitions of “employ”, “employer” and “employee” from different laws, was not enough to determine whether the will of the Constitution had been violated.