Justice Ministry deputy permanent secretary Manit Suthaporn has been dismissed from the civil service.

The dismissal is for alleged corruption related to a 1994 land auction.

Manit has 30 days to appeal.

His dismissal follows a National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) investigation that found Manit had a case to answer over alleged graft and abuse of power and that he should face disciplinary and criminal proceedings.

Justice permanent secretary Charan Phakdithanakul said a ministry and civil service sub-committee unanimously agreed with the commission that Manit committed a severe breach of discipline.

However, it was divided over how he should be dismissed.

A majority said he should be dismissed without a pension and not be eligible for employment in the civil service.

It cited a Cabinet resolution stipulating State employees guilty of corruption be kicked out of the service for good.

A minority argued the resolution was not law.

The committee voted four to one for the most severe punishment.

Manit said he would appeal the decision and fight the matter as far as legally possible.

Civil Service Commission secretary-general Preecha Vajrabhaya said if Manit's appeal failed he could appeal that to the Administrative Court.

The allegations of corruption arose from the auction of two land plots seized by the Pathum Thani Provincial Court at Thanyaburi. The land was sold for Bt897 million. But, the sale fell through and the court confiscated the bidder's Bt70-million guarantee, according to an NCCC report.

A later court-sanctioned settlement ordered the release of the land to the bidder but instructed executors, including Manit, to charge a fee of 3.5 per cent of the price.

Manit was deputy director-general of the Legal Execution Department at the time. He was supposed to collect the fee and other charges from the bidder and return the balance of the guarantee.

The NCCC found Manit returned the bidder's full Bt70 million deposit before "mysteriously" receiving 10,000 shares in a listed company. He realised Bt865,000 from the sale of those shares.

The NCCC found Bt56.5 million of the Bt70-million guarantee deposited in the bank account of the company in which Manit received shares and another Bt13.5 million

in the account for the company's

chairman.