The Move Forward Party (MFP) on Tuesday provided new evidence which it claims substantiates allegations that Transport Minister and Bhumjaithai Party secretary-general Saksayam Chidchob concealed assets belonging to his family's company.
Pakornwut Udompipatskul, an MFP MP, said an annual financial report issued by Burijarearn Construction Limited Partnership showed Mr Saksayam had an outstanding liability with the company that he had concealed before he became an MP and assumed the post of transport minister and then failed to submit the asset to the National-Anti Corruption Commission (NACC).
Mr Pakornwut was one of 54 politicians who signed a petition against Mr Saksayam, accusing him of concealing his assets and using a nominee to hide ownership of a company which has won many government construction projects.
The case was admitted by the Constitutional Court on March 3. Mr Saksayam was immediately suspended from his ministerial post pending the court's ruling.
Mr Pakornwut said a company report stated that Mr Saksayam borrowed a total of 108 million baht from the company in four transactions during 2015-2016. He reportedly paid off the debt on April 22, 2019, 33 days before he took up his ministerial post.
However, the financial report of the company in December 2019 showed an outstanding debt.
"The report showed that Mr Saksayam held a 38-million-baht loan from Burijarearn Construction in 2019 that he did not declare to the NACC," he said.
In addition, a clarification letter from Burijarean Construction stated that Mr Saksayam borrowed 108 million baht from the company, but there were records of only 69 million baht in loans, Mr Pakornwut said.
Furthermore, he said if the company received all the payments from Mr Saksayam before he became an MP, why did bank records not show the transactions?
Meanwhile, Mr Saksayam on Tuesday denied the accusation, saying he did not own any shares in the company and that his legal team would issue a statement today.
"I insist I have had nothing to do with the Burijarearn Construction since 2019," he said.
In his declaration of assets to the NACC in 2019, Mr Saksayam declared his assets worth 115.7 million baht without any debts.