Somsak loses his B16m house

Somsak loses his B16m house

Court says ex-minister assets 'didn't add up'

Somsak Prisananantakul, Chart Thai and Chartthaipattana executive and former education minister in the pre-Thaksin era, has been at the centre of many scandals. In the latest one he has been found to be unusually wealthy. (File photo by Apichart Jinakul)
Somsak Prisananantakul, Chart Thai and Chartthaipattana executive and former education minister in the pre-Thaksin era, has been at the centre of many scandals. In the latest one he has been found to be unusually wealthy. (File photo by Apichart Jinakul)

The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders has ordered the seizure of a 16-million-baht house owned by former education minister Somsak Prisananatakul for failing to verify where he obtained the money to build the property.

On May 28 last year, Mr Somsak, also a former party-list member of parliament for the Chartthaipattana Party, was found by the National Anti-Corruption Commission to be unusually rich, and of intending to falsely declare his assets while he was serving as a member of the cabinet between November 1997 and February 2001.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) later indicted Mr Somsak in the Supreme Court and asked that the court seize house No.5/5 in Ang Thong's Wiset Chai Chan district, which was constructed between August 1998 and April 1999.

During his political career in the pre-Thaksin era, Mr Somsak dealt with several scandals. In one, a tape recording emerged that allegedly implicated him with vote-fixing.

According to Thursday's court ruling, Mr Somsak, given his declared assets back then, was not financially capable of paying for the costs of building the house and its interior decoration.

The interior decoration began soon after the construction of the house was finished in 1999, said the court ruling.

Mr Somsak served as deputy education minister from Nov 14, 1997, until July 9, 1999, before he was made education minister from July 9, 1999 until Feb 5, 2001, said the ruling.

Mr Somsak had raised his objections in writing against the indictment.

He claimed the allegation against him was unclear and the OAG did not have the authority to indict him, insisting the statute of limitations on the case had expired.

Also, he said construction was completed in April 1999, before he became education minister, and that the construction of the house was paid for with part of the 56 million baht he had received from the then Chart Thai Party and people who supported him to run in elections between 1986 and 1996.

The proceedings in the Supreme Court ended on Sept 14.

The court insisted it had the authority to hear this case and if Mr Somsak found the charge against him to be unclear he could seek an explanation from the OAG, according to the ruling.

The court also said that the case was not deemed a civil suit so the statute of limitations remained intact, said the ruling.

Mr Somsak's argument that the house was built before he was appointed education minister was not relevant as he served as a state official from the day he became an MP in the general election in 1996 until his role as education minister ended on Feb 5, 2001, according to the judgement.

All other claims by Mr Somsak conflicted with statements given by his witnesses and so the court found those claims groundless, said the ruling.

After hearing the ruling Thursday, Mr Somsak only said briefly that he accepted the judgement and that it was in line with the rule of law.

He added he was ready to face the political consequences of the ruling.

Under the corruption prevention and suppression law, Mr Somsak's house has to be seized and treated as an asset of the state because he failed to prove that he was able to afford it.

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