The Supreme Court has accepted the National Anti-Corruption Commission's petition accusing 44 MPs of serious breaches of ethical standards but has not ordered suspension from duty, citing no repeated misconduct and the MPs' continuing responsibilities. The first hearing is scheduled for 30 June. Lawyers view this as positive news, and tags: [Supreme Court, MPs, Ethics, Legal Proceedings, National Anti-Corruption Commission]
At 10:30 a.m. on 24 Apr 2026 GMT+7, the Supreme Court issued an order in case number Komj 1/2569 concerning the petition filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and petitioner Pita Limjaroenrat and others totaling 44 respondents. The matter concerns allegations of serious violations or failure to comply with ethical standards by the respondents.
The petitioner alleged that the 44 respondents, when serving as Members of Parliament for the Move Forward Party, committed serious ethical violations. Specifically, between 10 Feb 2021 and 20 Mar 2023, the respondents jointly proposed a draft amendment to the Penal Code (amendment no. …) concerning defamation offenses.
They submitted the draft along with a memorandum of principles and rationale summarizing its key points to the Speaker of the House of Representatives for parliamentary consideration, exercising their legislative rights. However, the draft included provisions that diminished the status, recognition, and protection of the monarchy, which is inviolable, conflicting with Section 6 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand. The Secretariat of the House of Representatives notified the 44 respondents of these defects.
Despite this, the 44 respondents insisted on submitting the draft law, which contravenes the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand. Their intent was clearly malicious, aiming to destroy the monarchy, overthrow the democratic regime under the constitutional monarchy, and cause widespread serious harm to the nation.
Thus, the respondents' actions constitute serious ethical violations for failing to uphold the democratic regime under the constitutional monarchy as mandated by the Constitution, failing to protect the monarchy, national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national dignity and interests, state security, and public order. Their conduct also damages the honor of their office according to the ethical standards for Constitutional Court judges, independent agency officials, the Auditor General, and heads of administrative units of the Constitutional Court and independent agencies, as specified in the 2018 ethical standards, Articles 4, 6, 17, in conjunction with Article 3 paragraph two and Article 27, according to the petition dated 9 Apr 2026.
The Supreme Court ordered that the petition be accepted for consideration and that copies of the petition and supporting documents be sent to all 44 respondents, who have 14 days to file their objections if they wish.
The facts do not show that respondents number 3, 7, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26, 34, 35, and 38 have repeated or continued the alleged misconduct that could cause harm. Moreover, these respondents still have other duties to perform as Members of Parliament under the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand.
Therefore, the case circumstances do not warrant suspending respondents number 3, 7, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26, 34, 35, and 38 from their duties under Section 235 paragraph three of the Constitution, Section 87 paragraph three in conjunction with Section 81 of the Organic Act on Anti-Corruption 2018, and the Supreme Court general assembly regulations on serious ethical violations 2018, Article 12 paragraph two.
Consequently, respondents number 3, 7, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26, 34, 35, and 38 are ordered to continue their duties but are prohibited from repeating the alleged actions or making related statements. Otherwise, the Court may issue different orders.
The first hearing is scheduled for 30 June 2026 and the evidentiary inspection for 4 August 2026 at 09:30 a.m. Both parties are instructed to manage their proceedings accordingly. The Court will not postpone these dates.
Later, lawyer Nithi La-iaddee told reporters that the additional clarifications follow the Court's procedures. The Court will schedule hearings and request evidence submissions. The continuation of duties is considered good news. The petition was accepted because the respondents submitted documents explaining their parliamentary authority as representatives of the people voicing constituents' concerns and denied the allegations. Further details require consultation with the party’s legal team and representatives.
Supha-at Athila, Director of Case Group 1 at the Legal Office and representative of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, said the details follow the petitioner’s evidence and witness testimonies, which have been sent to all 44 respondents. The Court has scheduled the submission of responses within 14 days. Other details align with the Court’s report distributed to the media. Regarding the Court’s acceptance of the petition but allowing the 10 Move Forward Party MPs to continue duties, the matter will be presented to the NACC for further consideration.
