Court asks prosecution to explain delay with petition against Thaksin

The Constitutional Court on Tuesday ordered the attorney-general to report in 15 days on progress in the handling of a lawyer’s petition against Thaksin Shinawatra and his alleged influence over the Pheu Thai Party.
The charter court met on Tuesday to discuss Therayut Suwankesorn’s petition.
Mr Therayut filed a 5,080-page petition at the court on Oct 10, accusing the former prime minister of being a threat to the constitutional monarchy by his influence over the government coalition-core Pheu Thai Party, and asking he be ordered to stop it.
The petition named Thaksin as the first accused and the Pheu Thai Party, led by his daughter Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinwawatra as the second accused. Six allegations were made against the two accused.
Thaksin is accused of using the Ministry of Justice under the Pheu Thai-led government to secure his extended stay at Police General Hospital when he should have been in prison following his conviction last year for abuse of power when in office before being ousted by a military coup in 2006.
Mr Therayut also accused Thaksin of pushing the government to share marine resources in Thai waters with Cambodia, in line with a memorandum of understanding signed in 2001 when he was prime minister. In fact, the petition says, the marine boundary between the two countries remains in dispute, although Pheu Thai is seeking to revive negotiations.
He alleges that Thaksin ordered Pheu Thai to join forces with the People’s Party to push for constitutional amendments. The People’s Party is the reincarnation of the disbanded Move Forward Party, which the Constitutional Court earlier found guilty of jeopardising the constitutional monarchy.  
Thaksin also stands accused of hosting talks at his home with coalition parties about a successor to former prime minister Srettha Thavisin on Aug 14. The Constitutional Court dismissed Mr Srettha for an ethics violation on the same day.
The petition accuses Thaksin of ordering Pheu Thai to exclude the Palang Pracharath Party from the coalition government.
Mr Therayut also said that the government policy statement delivered by Ms Paetongtarn in parliament on Sept 12 echoed the much-hyped “vision” that Thaksin outlined in a dinner talk on Aug 22.
Mr Therayut had earlier submitted the petition to the attorney-general on Sept 24, asking the attorney-general to seek a ruling from the Constitutional Court ordering Thaksin to stop  threatening the constitutional monarchy by influencing the ruling Pheu Thai party.
When the attorney-general had not taken any action 15 days after receiving the petition, under Section 49 of the Constitution, Mr Therayut directly petitioned the Constitutional Court.
The court met on Tuesday and agreed to send a letter asking the attorney-general how the top prosecutor in the case handled the petition, and went about compiling evidence, before deciding whether to accept the petition or not. 
The court gave the attorney-general 15 days to submit a report on the handling of the petition.