The Democrat Party yesterday urged Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to investigate a claim that 16 billion baht recently transferred to Hong Kong had been seized by the territory's anti-graft agency.
MEMOIRS: Abhisit Vejjajiva in Lumpini Park yesterday as supporters queue to buy his book about his term as prime minister. His party has called for an investigation into a claim that billions of baht transferred to Hong Kong has been seized by the territory’s anti-graft agency.
Democrat list-MP Ong-art Klampaibul said the government should launch an inquiry and shed light on the claim which was made by the Nation Associate Anti-Corruption Network (NACN).
He said it was an opportunity for Ms Yingluck, who had publicly declared her intention to fight graft, to put her words into action.
Mr Ong-art's call for the investigation is based on information obtained by the NACN that Hong Kong's anti-corruption authorities had confiscated about 16 billion baht which was transferred from Thailand about two weeks ago.
NACN secretary-general Mongkolkit Suksintharanon yesterday said Hong Kong authorities had given information to the network's senior members last month that they were investigating the sources and owners of the confiscated money to see if corruption was involved.
After obtaining the information, the NACN contacted former Public Anti-Corruption Commission secretary-general Pol Col Dusadee Arayawuthi to discuss possible graft.
After talking to Pol Col Dusadee, he said, the network believed the money comes from the government's 120 billion baht flood rehabilitation and prevention budget.
A previous investigation by the PACC had found that corruption in the government's flood scheme could total as much as 30-40 billion baht, and the 16 billion baht frozen by the Hong Kong authorities could be part of that, Mr Mongkolkit said.
The NACN secretary-general said the network had already forwarded initial information on the frozen money to a Senate panel on corruption last week.
The network would testify before the committee again on Thursday, Mr Mongkolkit said.
Meanwhile, Pol Col Dusadee, currently deputy justice permanent secretary, will give statements to two Senate committees next week about his work at the PACC, which involves alleged corruption in the government's flood rehabilitation and prevention budget.
Pol Col Dusadee said he had prepared information involving three cases _ misappropriation of disaster relief funds, tax evasion on imported luxury cars and improper loans to the now-defunct President Agri Trading Co by Krung Thai Bank.