An OAG source said yesterday that the SSO would have to explain to the OAG why it wants the Bt500-million Watthajak Building and why it did not follow a regulation requiring open bidding for purchase contracts worth more than Bt1 million.

The Watthajak Building, located in Taling Chan district, was put on auction by the Legal Execution Department, a

government agency that the SSO should have contacted to buy the building instead of

a private company.

"The SSO needs to explain how necessary this building is, and how the building is worth the money earmarked for it, and how it strictly follows a regulation to protect the state's interest as a government agency," the source said.

The SSO had attempted to buy an office building in Samut Prakan's La Salle area through the Thai Asset Management Corp, a state-run business, but the deal was called off after a company that rented the building moved to a new location.

"This is an example showing that the SSO could have handled the purchase of the Watthajak Building through a government agency," the source said.

The Watthajak Building comprises three separate structures. The first nine-storey building was completed in 1991, while construction on a 38-storey tower was halted in 1999 due to the economic crisis. Work had resumed until recently, with 18 stories being finished. A third eight-storey building was planned but never started. The building permits for the two buildings have expired.

Meanwhile the Thai Labour Unity Committee is threatening to file a complaint with the Administrative Court over SSO policies it said were misplaced and useless to the fund's beneficiaries across the country.

Chairwoman Wilaiwan sae-Tia said she would talk with lawyers today about which cases would go to court and which would be forwarded to the OAG.