POLITICS / LOTTERY CORRUPTION INQUIRY, WRITING THE CONSTITUTION, POLICY PLATFORM

Minister and predecessor summoned

ASC asks pair to turn up next Wednesday

AMPA SANTIMATANEDOL

The Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) yesterday summoned Finance Minister Chalongphob Sussangkarn to appear next Wednesday and file a complaint against alleged offenders in the two and three-digit lottery corruption case.

It also called in ex-finance minister M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula, a former Bank of Thailand (BoT) governor, to give information about Khunying Potjaman Shinawatra's Ratchada land deal with the BoT's Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF).

The ASC wants Mr Chalongphob to file complaints in the lottery case so that it can be forwarded to prosecutors and the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) for further action.

ASC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said its sub-panel investigating the two- and three-digit lottery, led by Udom Fuangfung, had asked the ASC to approve the issuing of a summons for the finance minister, requesting his presence next Wednesday at 1pm.

If Mr Chalongphob failed to turn up at the ASC next Wednesday and lodge a complaint, he would be in violation of article 118 of the National Counter Corruption Act and could be liable for a jail term of up to six months and a fine of up to 10,000 baht, said Mr Sak.

The Finance Ministry earlier assigned a deputy permanent secretary to lodge the complaint on the minister's behalf.

However, the deputy permanent secretary failed to state clearly in his complaint the names and positions of the alleged offenders and also the estimated value of damage the alleged scam had caused, Mr Sak said.

The ASC, accordingly, could not proceed further with the case even though a representative of the Interior Ministry, another affected state agency in the case, had already lodged a complaint.

Mr Sak said the ASC insisted that Mr Chalongphob turn up to lodge the complaint himself next Wednesday.

It also wanted to ask him why his ministry had delayed in filing the complaint.

The ASC had sent copies of the summons for Mr Chalongphob to the prime minister and the CNS, he added.

The ASC also wants to question M.R. Pridiyathorn about the controversial Ratchada land deal, Mr Sak said.

The former BoT governor had accepted the ASC's invitation and would also testify next Wednesday.

M.R. Pridiyathorn was the BoT governor when Khunying Potjaman, wife of deposed prime minister Thaksin, won the bidding for a 33-rai plot of land in the Ratchadapisek area and purchased it from the FIDF for 772 million baht.

Lawyers for the alleged offenders would not be allowed to listen to M.R. Pridiyathorn's testimony, said Mr Sak.

He also said the ASC's sub-panel led by Viroj Laohaphan had finished its investigation report on the alleged tax evasion involving Mr Thaksin's son and daughter Panthongtae and Pinthongta Shinawatra.

Mr Viroj's sub-panel would today send the case to the Revenue Department, which would calculate the siblings' tax liability from the transaction.

The ASC anticipated that the siblings were liable to pay 6.5 billion baht in income tax this year, 5.6 billion baht of which was incurred from their Shin Corp share transactions with Ample Rich Investment Co, said Mr Sak.

Bangkok Post

Last Updated : Tuesday April 10, 2007