Supreme Court president Direk Ingkhaninant has been selected to head two committees asked to select the seven members of State Audit Commission (SAC) and the new auditor-general.
The committees yesterday decided to start the application process for both the SAC posts and the auditor-general's job today.
People interested in applying have until Thursday to submit their applications to the Secretariat of the Senate.
The committee responsible for selecting the SAC members includes Mr Direk; Husawuth Withitwiriyakul, Supreme Administrative Court president; Panthep Klanarongran, chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC); and Ratchata Ratchatanawin, president of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (Cupt).
Kukiat Sunthornbura, a judge selected by the Supreme Court and Ampol Singhakowin, a judge selected by the Supreme Administrative Court are also on the committee.
The panel selecting the new auditor-general includes Mr Direk; Mr Husawuth; Mr Panthep; Dr Ratchata; Sombat Diew-isares, a senior judge selected by the Supreme Court; and Damri Wathanasiha, a judge selected by the Supreme Administrative Court.
Both panels are thought to be the first in many years to have no members who are politicians. Committees were required under the 2007 constitution to include the parliament president and the opposition leader.
This time, the National Council for Peace and Order has specified the makeup of these committees. Several prospective applicants feel relieved no politicians are involved with the scrutiny panels and that their members are supposed to be politically neutral, a source said.
The post of auditor-general has been vacant since Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka was forced from the job after losing a court battle in 2012.
The Supreme Administrative Court that year had upheld a lower court's ruling declaring her decision to remove Pisit Leelavachiropas as an acting auditor-general as unlawful.