The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said it will consider evidence in a probe into alleged corruption at the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) next week -- just before the charges expire on Aug 20.
Two NACC members -- commissioner Supa Piyajitti and Sombat Thamthorn, an adviser to commissioner Pol Gen Sathaporn Laothong -- are among the accused parties in the case, which has been in the hands of the agency for a decade now.
The delay in conducting the probe, as well as Ms Supa and Mr Sombat's appointment to NACC positions while the investigation was ongoing, raised suspicions the watchdog was entangled in a conflict of interest.
In 2000, Ms Supa -- then a BMTA board member -- was accused of colluding to commit misconduct or fraud in relation to an allegedly dishonest bidding process for the advertising space of air-conditioned buses. The state lost about 32 million baht in the process.
Ms Supa and Mr Sombat, another BMTA board member at the time, face corruption charges for allegedly violating Section 157 of the Criminal Code, regarding state officials' wrongful exercise of duty. This provision has a statute of limitations of 15 years that comes to an end this month. The pair are also accused of breaching Section 12 of the 1999 Act on Offences Relating to the Submission of Bids to Government Agencies.
NACC chairman Panthep Klanarongran said the investigation was complete and its findings will be reviewed on Thursday. Ms Supa and Pol Gen Sathaporn will be absent when commissioners consider the evidence. "We won't let the case reach its expiry date without some sort of ruling," he said.
NACC member Vichai Vivitasevi, who heads the sub-panel investigating the case, declined to comment.
Ms Supa denied the charges and said she was ready to present her defence to the NACC if necessary. She urged her fellow commissioners to apply the same standards to her case that they would to outsiders.
Pol Gen Sathaporn defended his decision to appoint Mr Sombat, arguing the adviser was merely a suspect at this time and had denied the charges. He had not yet been found guilty, he added. "If he were proven to be guilty and I chose to keep him as my adviser, that would be a different story."
However, National Reform Council member Admiral Phajun Tampratheep criticised the appointment of the accused pair while they faced corruption charges. "The NACC is our only hope regarding corruption-fighting," he said, adding the watchdog had been tainted.
Adm Phajun said the NACC had committed wrongdoing in dragging its feet over the probe. Such dishonesty would not gain people's trust as it aims to weed out corrupt politicians, he said.