The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has warned the government of possible illegalities in its planned 10,000-baht digital wallet handout.
The national anti-corruption office said in recommendations to the government the scheme could possibly breach laws that govern elections and financial discipline.
Its warning was released after the government decided to defer Tuesday's scheduled meeting on the planned handout at Government House and wait for the NACC's opinion on the scheme.
The NACC said what the Pheu Thai Party promised voters during election campaigning last year differed from the details of the scheme announced in parliament.
Pheu Thai had promised to give 10,000 baht to every Thai citizen aged 16 years or more to attract votes, making 56 million people eligible for the money. But the ruling party later unveiled additional conditions that would mean only 50 million people would benefit, according to the NACC.
The prime minister's party had said in campaigning that the scheme would be financed from the national budget. It now planned to raise 500 billion baht in loans to fund the project, it said.
The NACC said the changes could be a breach of the election law. The law provides for fines and imprisonment of MPs found guilty of offences.
The NACC formed a panel in October last year to study the digital wallet policy of Pheu Thai amid fears of loopholes allowing corruption. The panel is chaired by commissioner Supa Piyajitti, who played a key role in probes into the rice-pledging scheme of the former adminstration of then-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The NACC also said the digital wallet could be in violation of the State Fiscal and Financial Discipline Act, because the country showed no sign of being in a crisis that needed such a scheme to urgently shore up the economy.
It advised the government to fully review the scheme, due to possible legal violations.