No cabinet reshuffle yet despite Don’s stock ‘violation’

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday it was too early to reshuffle the cabinet after Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai was found by the Election Commission (EC) to be unqualified for the post having violating the 5% stock-holding rule.

Mr Wissanu said the cabinet shake-up would have to wait until the matter was finalised. After the EC made the announcement speculation has mounted that the foreign minister would face growing pressure to step down.

Mr Don was among nine ministers featured in a petition filed with the EC last year by the Pheu Thai Party’s legal officer Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, who demanded a probe into the stockholdings of cabinet ministers.

The Pheu Thai member questioned whether the ministers were still qualified after the charter took effect on April 6 of last year.

The EC looked into the petition and cleared eight ministers. In Mr Don’s case, he was found to be in the wrong as his wife holds more than 5% of all shares in a company and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) had not been informed.

The case will be forwarded to the Constitutional Court for a ruling.

Section 187 of the 2017 charter prohibits a minister from holding shares.

If a cabinet minister wants to continue receiving benefits from the stockholding, he must inform the NACC president within 30 days from the date of his or her appointment, and then transfer the shares to an asset-management company. The rule also applies to the spouse.

Mr Wissanu said he did not think the foreign minister had deliberately concealed assets, adding he would say the same to the prime minister.

A source inside the EC said the election commissioners voted 3-2 last week against Mr Don because his wife’s shareholding was unconstitutional. But it will be up to the court to decide whether he intentionally hid the asset.

Mr Don has reportedly submitted a letter to the EC showing he planned to transfer the shares to his children.

A source at the Council of State said the charter imposes different rules when it comes to shareholding by cabinet ministers. One of the rules is that a minister who fails to inform the NACC of excessive shares within the deadline is considered to be concealing wealth.

The poll agency is also required to send the matter to the NACC to seek to strip him of his political rights, and ask the court to have him removed from office, the source said.

If the Supreme Court rules against the minister, Mr Don will be barred from politics.