A Thai court has dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for appointing to his cabinet a former lawyer who was once jailed.

The Constitutional Court ruled that Srettha had violated the “rules on ethics” with “the display of defiant behaviour”. The 67-year-old Srettha, who has been in power for less than a year, is the third PM in 16 years to be removed by the same court.

He will be replaced by an interim leader until Thailand’s parliament convenes to elect a new prime minister, reports the BBC.

“I’m confident in my honesty … I feel sorry, but I’m not saying I disagree with the ruling,” he said at a press conference shortly after the ruling.

The verdict signals political uncertainty for a country that has seen multiple coups, the last being in 2014 when the military seized power.