Pachara met with Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, deputy leader Alongkorn Pollabutr and party executive Kiat Sittheeamorn at his office late yesterday morning.

The Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) received the documents on May 18.

In their censure debate against then transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit last year, the Democrats held him responsible for an alleged bribe-taking scandal regarding the purchase of US-made CTX bomb-scanners for the Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The Democrats claimed the US documents incriminated executives of manufacturer InVision Technologies.

Thai companies allegedly involved in the corruption scandal are Airports of Thailand Plc, ITO Consortium and Patriot Business Consultants.

Pachara said after yesterday's meeting that under the Thai-US Treaty for Mutual Assistance on Criminal Matters, the OAG could not disclose the content of such confidential documents to parties other than the Royal Thai Police and the Anti-Money Laundering Office.

However, he insisted the US documents did not identify any Thai individuals or companies as being involved in the kickback controversy.

"The OAG won't end our quest for truth over the matter. If there is additional evidence, the US will send it to us, as stated in the treaty," he said.

Abhisit said he urged Pachara to make public the progress of the investigation.

The Democrat leader, however, insisted on the claim made by opposition MPs during last year's censure debate that the documents detailed damning information against certain Thai politicians and officials.

He said the Democrat Party would also consider what it could do to obtain copies of the documents from relevant US authorities.

"We will follow up on the case because the investigation is slow. It appears the government is not keen on taking legal action against the wrongdoers [in this scandal]," he said.

Abhisit called on the government to speed up the investigation because Suvarnabhumi Airport had been damaged by the controversial purchase.

Kesinee Taengkhiew

The Nation