The Supreme Court on Friday ordered Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan to stop working immediately after accepting for deliberation a case filed against her by graft busters.
The court said in a statement it had accepted the case brought by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) accusing the Bhumjaithai Party politician of committing a severe ethical violation in a case of land encroachment within Khao Yai National Park.
The court also ordered Ms Kanokwan suspended from office with immediate effect and tentatively banned her from politics for 10 years, or until the court delivers judgement.
A party-list MP for Prachin Buri, Ms Kanokwan and eight other people including her father Soonthorn Vilawan were indicted by public prosecutors for the illegal occupation of about 150 rai inside the national park in her home province in June.
The NACC later brought a criminal case against her in the Supreme Court.
The corruption agency said in the complaint that Ms Kanokwan had committd a serious breach of ethics by colluding with land oficials in applying for title deed over 30 rai supposedly owned by Thiew Malisorn on Feb 14, 1990. It turned out that Thiew Malisorn did not exist and the name was made up to clear the way for her to illegally own the land inside the national park. She and her father were issued title deeds.
The court set Oct 5 for the first hearing of the NACC case.
Ms Kanokwan's father is the president of the Prachin Buri Provincial Administrative Organisation.
Ms Kanokwan has kept low-profile at work since she and other accused were indicted by prosecutors in June.
She is the second cabinet minister to be suspended from duty in two days. The Constitutional Court suspended Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha from the prime ministership until it gives a ruling on his eight-year term in office.
