BANGKOK, July 9 - Thailand's Constitutional Court has ruled that a government emergency decree to borrow ฿400 billion (RM48.78 billion) to address the energy crisis and support the infrastructure transition is constitutional.
Xinhua reported that its nine-member panel unanimously ruled that the decree's primary clause is valid, allowing the Finance Ministry to secure loans for immediate financial relief from the impact of volatile energy prices.
The court also voted 7-2 to uphold the provision of the decree that allocates state funds to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
The verdict followed a petition signed by 133 members of the House of Representatives, questioning whether the executive order bypassed normal legislative processes in violation of the constitution, which restricts emergency decrees to urgent national security or economic emergencies.
Under the plan approved by the Cabinet in May, ฿200 billion (RM24.39 billion) would be used to alleviate cost-of-living pressures arising from the West Asia conflict, while the remainder would support the Southeast Asian country's transition towards sustainable energy.
