Finance officials have told the Commerce Ministry to demand 20 billion baht in compensation for allegedly corrupt government-to-government rice deals allegedly made by six former top ministry officials.
Chutima Bunyapraphasara, permanent secretary for commerce, said on Tuesday that the Finance Ministry sent the directive via letter on Monday. It instructed her ministry to obtain an administrative order to seek compensation from former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and five ex-officials over four bogus G2G deals covering 6.2 million tonnes of government rice.
Comptroller-General Manas Jamveha already has concluded that Mr Boonsong, former deputy Poom Sarapol, ex-secretary Weerawut Wajanaphukka, former Department of Foreign Trade director-general Manas Soiploy, ex-DFT rice-trade director Tikhumporn Natvaratat, and former DFT secretary Akharaphong Chuaikliang were responsible for 20 billion baht in damages.
"The letter sent with thousands of pages (of documentation) was received last night and I have not read the details," she said. "As far as I know, the compensation demanded from each person varies," Miss Chutima said.
The Foreign Trade Department would handle the matter and letters would be sent to the six, Mrs Chutima said, admitting they had the right to petition a court.
Mr Boonsong, the commerce minister in the Yingluck Shinawatra government, along with 20 other individuals and companies already are on trial in the Supreme Court over the G2G rice deals with two Chinese trading companies: Guangdong Stationery and Sporting Goods Import and Export, and Hainan Grain and Oil Industrial Trading Co.
The suit was filed after the National Anti-Corruption Commission found neither foreign company was authorised by Beijing to make the deals.