Democrats home in on seven firms in probe of Yaowapha
The Democrat Party is continuing its investigation of the Wongsawat family's trading of shares in seven companies in a bid to prove Yaowapha Wongsawat, sister of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is unusually rich, the party's deputy leader said yesterday.
The party is gathering evidence to back its allegation that Yaowapha tried to conceal ownership of property from the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC), said Alongkorn Pollabutr. He said Democrat Party deputy secretary-general Korn Chantikavanij was investigating the trading of shares in seven companies by the Wongsawat family, both on the stock market and outside it. They are: Traffic Corner Holdings Plc, M Link Asia Corporation Plc, Ascon Construction Plc, G Steel Plc, Wyncoast Industrial Park Plc, Srangsin Property Co Ltd and Portal Net Company. Korn was also checking the transparency of a deal in which Garden City Lagoon was bought and its name changed to Chinnicha Ville, after Yaowapha's daughter Chinnicha, with the Thai Asset Management Corporation. Alongkorn said Korn had asked the Bank of Thailand's governor to check into a commercial bank's loan to the project. He said he had convincing evidence Yaowapha owned Chinnicha Ville through Sunisa Pathompruek, a sister of Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. Sunisa was Yaowapha' secretary and a director of many companies owned by the Shinawatras, he said. "Yaowapha must reveal whether she owned Chinnicha Ville through Sunisa. And did she report all of her property [to the NCCC], including an eight-rai parcel of land worth Bt256 million? Where did she get the money to buy this land, and the house and buildings on it worth Bt800 million?" Alongkorn asked. Chalermchai Jeenawijarana, a former Thai Rak Thai MP, and his wife have said that at the time of the alleged deals, they were directors of Srangsin Property, but neither of them owned the company, he said. "The NCCC should use special laws to investigate the [Wongsawat] family's financial transactions," said Alongkorn. He said he would submit his evidence to the NCCC within 10 days. Yesterday, Srangsin Property's CEO Paiwong Techanarong said he had investigated and dismissed allegations against Yoawapha. Srangsin owns the Beverly Hill housing estate, which was previously named Chinnicha Ville. He said the allegations were political, because the estate had been named after Yaowapha's daughter. Paiwong said he had been forced to replace Chalermchai and take responsibility for managing the project's debts of Bt600 million. He proposed the name change to Beverly Hill to prevent politicking and boost sales. Yossawadee HongthongThe Nation
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