Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Commerce Ministry to speed up issuing an order to demand 20 billion baht in compensation from six individuals implicated in alleged fake government-to-government (G2G) rice deals, government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd says.
Maj Gen Sansern said the government has kept itself abreast of the rice scandal probes and instructed commerce authorities to proceed without delay after the Finance Ministry earlier this week asked the Commerce Ministry to demand ex-commerce officials pay for damages in fake deals involving 6.2 million tonnes of government rice, he said.
While urging the Commerce Ministry to take swift action, Gen Prayut stressed that authorities responsible must carefully "study the rule book" and ensure all steps are taken in compliance with the rules, Maj Gen Sansern said.
The prime minister has also urged state officials to use the rice scandal as a reminder that they should do their job with honesty, stand by the law and not let themselves be used by politicians, the government spokesman said.
"The prime minister is asking government officials to learn from this case. It should remind them they should stand by what is right, be honest to their jobs and adhere to the rules and the law. They should not be used as tools by politicians or interest groups," Maj Gen Sansern said.
In its letter to the Commerce Ministry, the Finance Ministry said an administrative order should be issued to six former officials to pay 20 billion baht in compensation for damages incurred by four fake G2G rice deals.
The letter is in line with the probe result of a state committee pursuing liabilities against wrongdoers in the fake rice deals which is chaired by Comptroller-General Department chief Manas Jamveha.
The committee has calculated the damage at 20 billion baht and held responsible six people in the former administration of Yingluck Shinawatra.
They are former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom; former deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol; former secretary to the commerce minister Weerawut Wajanaphukka; former Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) director-general Manas Soiploy; former deputy DFT director general Tikhumporn Natvaratat; and the DFT's former director of foreign rice trade, Akharaphong Chuaikliang.
Commerce permanent secretary Chutima Bunyapraphasara said the DFT has been assigned to handle the issue.
"The letter from the Finance Ministry is a classified document and I haven't read the details," she said. "So, there's not much I can say. But, I've assigned the DFT to handle the issue.
"Basically what we will do is issue an administrative order to those implicated to pay for the damages. Anyway, they can lodge a petition with a court. And as far as I know the amounts of compensation demanded from each of them vary."
A source at the Commerce Ministry said a legal panel has been appointed to work on the issue and its members include state attorneys.
The source said the panel will study the document and ensure each step taken is in line with the time frame.
The six individuals, for example, can appeal the order within a specified time frame.
Mr Poom, meanwhile, said Maj Gen Sansern's remarks on the rice scandal were nothing more than an attempt to discredit him and others involved, possibly with a hidden agenda and political motivation.
He said he would rather not discuss the rice scandal because the case is pending a court trial though he insisted the rice-pledging scheme was initiated in the best interests of the public and was lawful.
An order which bypasses civil court proceedings is being considered to claim compensation for losses incurred by the rice-pledging scheme from Ms Yingluck as well.
