The cabinet has approved a 10-million-baht budget to award bonuses to staff of the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG).
The one-off payment, left over from the 2012 fiscal year budget, was approved by the Finance Ministry, government spokesman Teerat Ratanasavi said.
The allowance is aimed at boosting staff morale and recognising their work under pressure, Mr Teerat said.
The award is in line with the cabinet's April 3, 2002, resolution that allows OAG staff to receive similar allowances to those paid to other civil servants.
Some observers have questioned the timing of the cabinet's decision, coming as it does days after Attorney-General Atthapol Yaisawang signed an indictment order against former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his former deputy Suthep Thaugsuban on murder charges in relation to the Abhisit government's crackdowns on red-shirt protesters in April-May 2010 that led to 92 deaths.
Meanwhile, the cabinet decided to cut back on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) budget for hiring new employees. The NACC proposed to add 785 new staff at a cost of 68.8 million baht. However, the cabinet approved only 20.1 million baht for 335 posts, Mr Teerat said.