Charter court to rule in Varathep case

The Constitution Court will on Friday rule on whether to disqualify PM's Office Minister Varathep Ratanakorn from his position in connection with the two- and three-digit lottery scheme, which he oversaw when he was deputy finance minister during the Thaksin government.

The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders convicted Varathep of offences and sentenced him to a suspended two-year jail term.

A group of 24 senators requested the court ruling on whether Varathep should be disqualified under Article 182 (3) and Article 174 (5) of the Constitution.

Each Constitution Court judge will issue a personal verdict and then participate in a vote to determine a majority decision, which is expected to be delivered at 2pm Friday.