PM seeks review of ban

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday assigned the Council of State to review the constitutional ban on Cabinet members voting in the House because of a possible conflict of interest, a source said.

Concern has been mounting that many coalition MPs could face legal problems involving their shareholdings.

During the weekly Cabinet meeting, Abhisit instructed the government's legal advisory arm to study Article 177, the source said.

The clause prohibits Cabinet members who are MPs from voting in the House on "a matter connected with the holding of office, the performance of duties or the possession of any interest in such matter".

The Election Commission last week resolved to ask the Constitution Court to disqualify 16 senators for owning shares in media businesses or companies with state concessions.

More than 70 MPs are suspected of violating the asset rules in the same way as the senators. As many of them are coalition MPs, Abhisit is worried about the coalition's slim majority, the source said.

The EC postponed for 15 days its deliberation on the cases involving 44 MPs, including six Cabinet members, secretary-general Suthiphon Thaveechaiyagarn said.

It also decided to give to its committee investigating 28 MPs from the ruling Democrat Party in a separate case of violating shareholding rules more time to gather information before completing its probe, he said.

The panel has asked for information from 306 companies with shares held by those MPs and 234 of them have responded, he said, adding that the MPs would also be allowed more time to explain their investments.

Suthiphon dismissed allegations that the EC had an ulterior motive, saying the EC had been petitioned to probe the MPs and that it did not initiate the investigation by itself.

Of the 44 MPs, 23 are from the Pheu Thai Party, eight from Puea Pandin, three each from Chart Thai Pattana, Pracharaj and Bhum Jai Thai, two from Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana, and one each from the Democrat and Social Action parties.

Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul, the Bhum Jai Thai leader, said he was worried that the issue might rock the government, but expressed optimism that the coalition still has enough votes to push government legislation through the House.

"But during the voting, coalition MPs may need to suppress the call of Nature," he quipped.

Theptai Senapong, spokesman for the Democrat Party leader, said the party was preparing to defend its MPs in court, as it would be a grave concern if as many as 28 party MPs fell into legal trouble.

However, Abhisit was not overly concerned about the matter, he said.

The party would contest by-elections for any disqualified constituency MPs, and for any disqualified party-list MPs, the next persons on the list would replace them.

The cases would not threaten the government's stability as the House was now in recess and new MPs would be in place before the beginning of the next parliamentary session in August, he said.

The opposition Pheu Thai Party complained that the EC did not provide sufficient time for the MPs to defend themselves.

MP Sunai Jullapongsathorn said some of them were informed in writing by the EC to testify about their stocks but some were later told they no longer were allowed to do so as the EC was about to make its ruling soon.