AEC agrees to postpone hearing date for Thaksin's children
The Assets Examination Committee has agreed to revise today's hearing date on Shin shares transaction involving two children of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra and a witness to next month, committee spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said on Wedenday
"The AEC allows the defence extra time for preparations and expects the upcoming hearing to shed light on the Shin deal as the defence statements will be presented behind closed doors and without the present of lawyers," Sak said. Thaksin's two children, Panthongtae and Pinthongta, will give their respective statements on January 10, and defence witness Kanchanapa Honghern is to testify on January 24. Kanchanapa is the private secretary to Thaksin's wife, Khunying Pojaman. The three will appear before the Viroj Laohaphan panel. Since the investigation is at the factfinding stage, the panel will soliciit statements directly from individuals involved in the deal and not their lawyers. Commenting on news reports that the defence team wanted Thaksin to return to Thailand to testify, Sak said the deposed premier could choose either to submit his statement in writing or to appear in person once he was indicted. At the moment, there was no graft indictment against Thaksin as graft investigators were at various stages of building up their cases, he said. In related development, the AEC Wedensday offered cash rewards for tips leading to the conviction of corrupted politicians. The rewards would amount to 55 per cent of seized illgotten wealth. Informants and graft busters are entitled to share the rewards. In case informants are nominees holding illgotten assets, they would receive 25 per cent of the loots upon surrendering them to the state. The Nation
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