Thailand’s junta leader used emergency powers on Thursday to suspend Bangkok’s governor while he is probed for corruption, a major blow to the influential city politician who has faced growing censure.
Sukhumbhand Paribatra, a distant relative of Thailand’s respected royal family, is under investigation for alleged graft connected to an expensive light display he set up outside city hall in December 2015.
The two-term governor was recently “disowned” by fellow Democrat p arty members over that case and string of other shady deals, with some MPs calling on the junta to axe him.
The pro-establishment Democrats are traditional allies of the military, which seized power in 2014 after it toppled the opposition Puea Thai Party.
“Although the current investigation is not conclusive yet, it is a high profile case,” read the order signed by junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha, adding that the governor would be suspended without pay while the investigation is ongoing.