The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has told the navy that it must seek the cabinet's approval if it wants to extend a submarine procurement contract and assess the technical aspect of any changes to a submarine engine it has ordered before deciding whether there is a critical need for it, according to a source.
In its letter answering the navy's inquiries about the submarine procurement programme, the OAG said extending the contract by 1,217 days requires a cabinet review because it is a government-to-government deal, the source said.
However, the change of the submarine engine is a technical issue which the navy must evaluate, said the source.
The navy's 13.5-billion baht submarine programme hit a snag after China was unable to acquire a German-made engine for the Yuan-class S26T submarine the navy ordered.
Berlin cited regulatory restrictions preventing engines it produces from being used in Chinese military hardware.
The navy appears to be satisfied with China's offer of a CHD620 engine as a replacement for the MTU396 engine while the Pheu Thai-led government seems to prefer the submarine be swapped for a frigate, although the new deal is estimated to cost a billion baht more.
If the engine change is agreed, it will take another 40 months before the submarine procurement is complete. Construction has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is currently on hold due to the engine issue.
Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang on Wednesday declined to discuss the details of the OAG's answers about the submarine purchase scheme, saying he had yet to see the document in full.
He said the cabinet's decision is final.