Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Bunyamanee on Thursday denied allegations he had abused his authority by helping his family and close associates profit from buying and reselling land at the location of the controversial Chana industrial complex in Songkhla.
In response to accusations made by the opposition at Thursday's censure debate, Mr Niphon insisted he did not engage in the purchase or sale of any land.
The survey of land in all districts of Songkhla, not only in four districts that are the location of the industrial complex project, had been carried out since in 2018, before he became cabinet minister in 2019, he said.
He, in turn, accused the opposition of misleading the public by presenting false documents to raise its censure issue against him in parliament.
He also discounted the allegation that most land at the industrial complex project's site is now owned by a private company. He insisted only 14% of the land is owned by private parties.
Mr Niphon insisted the project, approved by cabinet on May 7, 2019, will help stimulate the economy and benefit the local communities.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, meanwhile, insisted land dealings at the site are perfectly legal.
The government also did not assist individuals or parties in securing land deals in the project site, he said.
Gen Prayut then challenged the opposition to prove their land procurement accusations in court if they were so certain they are correct.
Also, Move Forward Party list MP Prasertpong Sornnuvatara accused Mr Niphon of using his son, Nithikorn Bunyamanee, in a company that deals with land at the complex's site.
According to Mr Prasertpong, Mr Niphon's lawyer and relatives have benefited from a land deal, noting this was proof Mr Niphon has abused his authority.
The price of 464 rai of land in three tambons earmarked for the industrial complex construction is expected to jump to 1.3 billion baht, or 12 times its present price, once the project gets underway, he said.
The land has been bought from residents, according to Mr Prasertpong.
The MP alleged that part of the land for the project was acquired from Mr Niphon's "network of relatives", who bought it from a company in which Mr Nithikorn is the majority shareholder.
The network resold the land to the project for 224 million baht after four days of acquiring it from the company in January, he said.