Amlo urged to probe CDC chairman

Amlo urged to probe CDC chairman

Activist Veera Somkwamkid, last seen on Aug 28 at the Anti-Corruption Commission demanding it re-open the 2007 parliamentary riot investigation, wants the Anti-Money Laundering Organisation to investigate whether constitution writer Meechai Ruchupan was involved in the 1992-2002 Krungthai Bank loan scandal. (Bangkok Post file photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)
Activist Veera Somkwamkid, last seen on Aug 28 at the Anti-Corruption Commission demanding it re-open the 2007 parliamentary riot investigation, wants the Anti-Money Laundering Organisation to investigate whether constitution writer Meechai Ruchupan was involved in the 1992-2002 Krungthai Bank loan scandal. (Bangkok Post file photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)

Anti-corruption activist Veera Somkwamkid is calling on the Anti Money Laundering Office (Amlo) to probe charter writer Meechai Ruchupan over his alleged involvement in Krungthai Bank's (KTB) controversial loans to subsidiaries of the Krisdamahanakorn (KMN) real estate company.

Mr Veera said the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) served as the president of KMN from 1992-2012 and he should be investigated to see if he had any vested interest in the loans.

The activist claimed an Amlo inquiry into Mr Meechai's conduct is necessary because the real estate company was among the defendants standing trial for loan irregularities in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.

KMN was ordered by the Supreme Court to jointly pay compensation worth over 10 billion baht to KTB, he added.

"When the court ordered KMN to pay damages, Mr Meechai, who was the company's executive, was one of those to be investigated," he said.

Mr Meechai said earlier he admitted being an executive of KMN in 2012 but he had nothing to do with KTB's controversial loans to subsidiaries of the KMN real estate company.

The petition with Amlo against Mr Meechai was the latest move in Mr Veera's campaign demanding fair prosecution of all parties involved in the KTB loans.

Last week he said over 200 individuals and juristic entities were linked to the scandal and called on the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to probe two other former executives of the bank.

In 2015 the Supreme Court found 24 people guilty of wrongfully approving the loans to affiliates of developer KMN between 2003-2004. The loans were granted even though the firm was listed with the bank as a non-performing debtor.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, named as the first defendant, fled before the trial started in 2012.

Amlo recently lodged a complaint with the DSI accusing Mr Thaksin's son and others of money laundering for receiving cheques tied to the loans.

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