Lawyer Kaew admitted that he has submitted his resignation to the Lawyers Council to demonstrate spirit and innocence. The council's spokesperson stated that if any wrongdoing is found, punishment must be imposed regardless of resignation.
At 1:00 p.m., Dr. Monchai Jongkrairattankul, known as "Lawyer Kaew," briefly spoke to the media following reports that he had submitted a letter to the Lawyers Council resigning from his position as Vice Chairman of the Legal Knowledge Dissemination Committee.
A reporter contacted Lawyer Kaew for clarification and learned that he had officially submitted his resignation letter to the Lawyers Council to show his own spirit and innocence regarding the ongoing situation.
Later, the news team contacted Dr. Peeraphat Foythong, Academic Vice President and spokesperson for the Lawyers Council under Royal Patronage, about the case. Dr. Peeraphat explained that Lawyer Kaew is not on the council’s executive board but serves on a subcommittee among many. He may have resigned from that subcommittee. The matter involves two aspects: the criminal case concerning harassment and the issue of lawyer ethics.
The process is divided into two parts: first, the victim may file a complaint with the Lawyers Council if misconduct is suspected; second, if evidence is publicly known and accepted, the ethics committee may initiate a review. Legal penalties come in three levels: 1) reprimand, 2) license suspension for up to three years, and 3) removal from the lawyer registry.
The disciplinary process is unaffected by whether or not one resigns, as the Lawyers Council oversees over 90,000 lawyers nationwide. Currently, Lawyer Kaew is presumed innocent until proven otherwise, and any penalties will correspond to the severity of proven offenses.