Assets examiners to press for charges against ex-PM and his wife  

BANGKOK , May 15 (TNA) –Thailand's Assets Examination Committee (AEC) resolved Monday to ask the Office of the Attorney General to file a criminal charge against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife for allegedly abusing powers to purchase a plot of land in Bangkok's Ratchadaphisek area at a favourable price several years ago.

AEC secretary Kaewsan Atibodhi said the deposed prime minister and his wife had allegedly breached the Criminal Code by buying the tract of land for Bt772 million whereas neither Mr. Thaksin, who was then a government official, nor his spouse were legally permitted to engage in commercial transactions with any state agency, which in this case was referred to the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF).

The AEC suggested that the Office of the Attorney General proceed to have the land as well as the funds used for its purchase to be confiscated by court order, he said.

The asset examiners also resolved that the Department of Special Investigation and the National Counter-Corruption Commission probe whether or not any officials of the FIDF may be charged as accessories and face criminal or disciplinary charges.

Meanwhile, the AEC also endorsed malfeasance charges launched against former transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit and former State Railway of Thailand (SRT) governor Chitsanti Thanasophon involving the SRT's so-called Airport Rail Link project.

AEC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said the committee had endorsed the charges following a probe by a subcommittee of the former transport minister, the former railway chief and two officials of the state enterprise for allegedly abusing their powers in providing Bt1.2 billion in what the SRT called an interest payment to a firm contracted to build a mass transit system linking Suvarnabhumi Airport with downtown Bangkok.

The AEC said the parties had allegedly breached the Criminal Code by circumventing a cabinet resolution involving the Airport Link project and altering the bidding terms for the contractor by exempting lending fees which would otherwise have benefited the SRT.

TNA

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admin Wrote:AEC secretary Kaewsan Atibodhi said the deposed prime minister and his wife had allegedly breached the Criminal Code

Mr. Thaksin, who was then a government official, nor his spouse were legally permitted to engage in commercial transactions with any state agency,

There is huge disagreement in the Thai legal community if the Thaksin's did or did not breached the criminal code as alleged. Seems that the agency they dealt with was at arms length and run independently from the government plus there was an sealed bid system in place, so coercion would be "almost" impossible. Again the lawyers will be arguing this for years.

Thaksin could return home if .......: PM

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be allowed to return home to fight corruption charges if court summoned him, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Wednesday.

However, Surayud said that if the court ordered Thaksin to return, the government would not interfere.

"I don't see any problem if everybody adheres to the rule of law, and if the court orders him to come back to face charges, then we must comply," he said.

Surayud had said that Thaksin who was ousted in September last year is allowed to return home after the national election scheduled by the end of this year.

The Assets Examination Committeehad ruled Monday that Thaksin and his wife Pojaman should face charges over an illegal land deal in 2003.

AEC will refer the corruption case to the attorney general for consideration.

The Nation