Pracha to explain controversial transfer of PACC chief

Pracha to explain controversial transfer of PACC chief

Justice Minister Pracha Promnok will visit the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) today to explain his decision to transfer PACC secretary-general Dussadee Arayawuthi to the post of deputy permanent secretary for justice, a ministry source said.

Pol Gen Pracha is expected to tell the PACC board that Pol Col Dussadee's transfer was not a form of punishment or retribution.

Pol Col Dussadee has led investigations into several high-profile corruption cases involving politicians and influential people.

The transfer relieves him from command of several graft-busting investigations, involving public land encroachment and evasion of taxes on imported luxury cars.

Pol Col Dussadee also unveiled corruption in state flood prevention projects in the Northeast.

He told the Bangkok Post last week that some powerful people connected to tax evasion scams might have lobbied to have him transferred.

The PACC suspects politicians and Customs Department officials might be involved in the tax evasion scam.

The ministry source said some government officials had been attempting to "clear up" cases under investigation by Pol Col Dussadee that might eventually implicate politicians.

The source said that during last year's flooding, the Flood Relief Operation Command allocated funding to concerned ministries to solve flood problems. Some of the money was allegedly "siphoned off" to buy land in a national forest reserve in Phuket.

The source said the PACC was also investigating oil smuggling across the southern border. Some influential people were angered after they phoned to ask Pol Col Dussadee to drop the probe into the case, but he refused, the source said.

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