Thai court issues ruling to remove Prime Minister Yingluck

Thailand's Constitutional Court on May 7 ruled that caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra must step down for "abuse of power" in connection with the transfer of National Security Council Chairman Thawil Pliensri in 2011.

"The nine-member panel of judges agreed that Yingluck abused her position as prime minister to interfere in the transfer (of Thawil Pliensri) for her own benefit," Chief Justice Charoon Intachan said in a hearing broadcast live on television.

Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives at the National Anti-Corruption Commission. (Source: AFP/VNA)

"Therefore, the title of Prime Minister has expired... Ms. Yingluck is no longer in the position of interim Prime Minister."

According to the court, some ministers in Ms. Yingluck's cabinet who supported the transfer decision will also be dismissed.

According to AFP, it is not yet clear whether the court's ruling will create a power vacuum, or whether one of the current ministers will be nominated to temporarily replace Ms. Yingluck.

Ms Yingluck was found to have made an illegal decision regarding the transfer of Mr Thawil Pliensri, a move that the opposition said was designed to benefit her Puea Thai Party.

The court's ruling comes as Thailand continues to suffer from months of political turmoil, with anti-government protests aimed at ousting Yingluck, who took office in November 2013.

According to the BBC, this verdict could continue to spark a wave of protests from the pro-government movement, which is still very active in rural areas.

Appearing at the court on May 7, Ms. Yingluck denied the accusation that her Puea Thai party had benefited from the above decision, but the court did not accept it./.

According to VNA