Term ends today, head gives panel 8 out of 10
KING-OUA LAOHONG
The Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC), which will be wound up today, considers itself a success and said it achieved its target of tackling alleged corruption cases, despite immense political pressure during its 21 months in office. ASC chairman Nam Yimyaem said that if the ASC had to be rated, it should get eight out of 10 as it was able to conclude 14 of its 24 cases within a limited timeframe.
The 11-member ASC was set up by the coup-makers to investigate and prosecute alleged corruption by the Thaksin Shinawatra government.
The one-year term of the panel was extended for nine months when the new constitution was put in place.
Its tenure officially ends today.
Mr Nam said every member of the panel was dedicated to the job despite the constant pressure on them.
''We built all the cases based on the evidence available and we did it with honesty. The National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) will take over cases left unfinished.
''We have fulfilled our job within a given time,'' he said.
He was concerned that corruption among politicians and civil servants will remain. Without a strong monitoring system in place, the problem of corruption will be difficult to deal with, he said.
ASC member Banjerd Singkhaneti said he would prefer others to appraise the ASC's achievements, even though personally he was satisfied with the panel's performance.
Its success should be judged from its ability to protect the national interest and bring accused parties to justice.
''The ASC is only the beginning of the course of a stream, the prosecution is in the middle and the court is at the end,'' he said.
''If those in the middle fail to pass it on, it is hard to say that it is a success.''
Udom Fuangfung, another panel member, said the ASC has passed the test, achieving 80% of its tasks.
The ASC managed to wrap up 14 cases from 24, and four cases have now been submitted to the court.
Mr Udom added that the ASC did its job in a straightforward manner without any bias or discrimination.
''During the past 21 months, the ASC showed society that corruption has existed since 1998.
''It takes various forms with politicians and civil servants involved,'' he said.
''They were not subject to scrutiny because those with political power tried to 'turn off the switch', stopping the monitoring organisations from moving forward.''
He said the ASC is confident in the fairness of court proceedings and believes its investigations will not be futile if the cases are submitted to the court.
However, Mr Udom was concerned that political powers will meddle with some of the cases that have yet to be taken to court, such as the case where former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is accused of being unusually rich as a result of the sale of his shares in Shin Corp.
The Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) decided to defer the case and called for a joint panel with the ASC to make further inquiries. The OAG said information on the case was incomplete.
''The legislative, executive and judiciary branches should maintain a balance among themselves and support each other.
''But as it happens, the court is now standing alone and has been kept isolated. Nobody helps support it. This is a big worry,'' Mr Udom said.
ASC member Kaewsan Atipho said the ASC's biggest achievement is that it has concluded most of the cases for submission to the court.
He said the ASC had no authority to make any final judgements as to who was right or wrong.
''All we want is justice being dispensed by an impartial person _ that is a judge.
''The achievement is that we worked on the cases in a manner that is fair to all concerned,'' he said.
He added that the cases left unfinished will be officially handed over to the NCCC at Thammasat University, where a seminar with ASC members as panelists will also take place today.
ASC member and spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said the ASC is ready to listen to feedback from the public at the seminar.
He dismissed suggestions about the ASC being a failure, saying the panel did its job of submitting most cases to the court.
Former Constitution Court judge Sujit Boonbongkarn gave the ASC the thumbs-up for its performance.
Society is aware that the panel had a bumpy ride fighting those in power, Mr Sujit said.
Academic Preecha Suwannathat also approved of the ASC's work, saying the panel managed to work under political pressure.
Under the Surayud Chulanont government, the ASC should have received more cooperation from the civil service, which was reluctant to supply information, he said.
He said the ASC could have achieved more and could have concluded more important cases.
He believed the ASC's achievements will be fully appreciated one day and the panel members will be remembered for what they have done.
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