The Central Court for Corruption and Misconduct will open its doors in Bangkok on Monday to handle cases related to graft and malfeasance involving government officials and state employees.
Part of criminal justice, the new court has 10 panels, one president and three vice-presidents. Amnat Puangchompoo is the first president.
It is located in the Court House in Dusit district, Soi Si Kham, Nakhon Chaisri Road,Bangkok.
The two-tier court tries criminal cases where all state and government employees and officials are involved regardless of their roles in the cases.
"The court's procedure was designed to speed up such cases," Mr Amnat said.
"If a defendant does not object the charge, the investigation needs not be repeated. Witness hearings need not restart if the defendant has fled. Investigation and a ruling can be made in his absence," he said.
Unlike the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions, the court allows for an appeal but this is as far as it goes for most cases.
If a defendant wants to bring his case to the Supreme Court, he must have good reasons and seek prior approval from the highest court, Mr Amnat said.
The types of cases to be tried by the new court are those related to corruption and malfeasance in which officials are involved, those related to money-laundering and false asset declarations in which the court has the mandate to consider whether to confiscate the assets. It also handles cases involving collusion, bribery and neglect of duty.
The new court uses the inquisitorial system in which it can actively involve in investigating the facts of a case, unlike the adversarial system of most courts where the role of the court is primarily that of an impartial referee between the prosecution and the defence.