Somchai said the plaintiff and defendants must hand in written closing statements for the case by April 25. They would not need to present their statements verbally.

The verdict is expected to be announced at 1.30pm.

Heading the Democrat legal team, Chuan Leekpai said he was not worried about the verdict. Even though the case might be finished before the electoral fraud case against the Thai Rak Thai, he was confident in the justice of the court and that social pressure would not affect the outcome.

Chuan said he had prohibited party executives and former MPs from commenting or speculating on the case, because it was being considered by the tribunal. But he was confident in the party's innocence.

The Attorney-General asked the Constitution Court last year to rule on whether the Democrat, Thai Rak Thai and three small parties should be dissolved because of alleged electoral fraud in the April 2 election.

The Democrat Party faces four charges - collaborating with the People's Alliance for Democracy to topple and frame the previous Thai Rak Thai government; hiring MP candidates from the Progressive Democratic Party to frame Thai Rak Thai; obstructing MP candidates from registering in Songkhla, and hiring the leader of the Better Life Party to set up Thai Rak Thai.

Meanwhile, Thai Rak Thai is accused of hiring two small parties to contest the April 2 election so as to avoid the requirement of a minimum 20 per cent of eligible votes to win seats in uncontested constituencies.

Yesterday, was the last hearing in the case against the Democrat and Progressive Democratic parties.

Further hearings in the electoral fraud case against Thai Rak Thai, Pattana Chart Thai and Thai Ground parties are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, when the tribunal is expected to set a date for its ruling on the case.

The secretary-general of the Office of the Constitution Court, Paiboon Warahapaitoon, said the tribunal members would discuss various issues, but each member would have to write a personal verdict individually and independently before voting on the verdict. The verdict would take effect as soon as it was read to the parties.

However, Paiboon said it was the up to the Tribunal when to rule on the Thai Rak Thai case and whether to take into account the move by the Council for Democratic Reform, now the Council for National Security, to increase the penalty for executives of dissolved parties. The coup makers said the voting rights of executives of dissolved parties should be suspended for five years.

Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation