The OAG reminded the EC it had to answer questions about its expenditures on Thursday.

The EC spent Bt4 billion organising the annulled April 2 election, the April 23 second-round vote and 29 re-elections, as well as the Senate election on April 19, a source at the OAG said yesterday.

On July 31 the auditor-general first asked EC secretary-general Ekachai Warunprapa to clarify the use of the money and whether he had complied with the law in endorsing the purchase of materials and services.

The office found the EC used "special methods" in recruiting contractors and questioned why the same contractors were used in all four elections. The office suggested some contractors were not qualified for the work they were employed to do. One, JJ Group 45, was hired to provide armbands for election officials. It sells insecticide.

Ekachai was asked to explain the criteria employed to select contractors, the source said.