BOT delays UK money transfer by Pojaman
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has not approved a request by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's wife, Khunying Pojaman, to take money out of the country to buy a house in London, central bank governor Tarisa Watanagase said yesterday.
She said the central bank was waiting for comments from the Assets Examination Committee (AEC) and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) as to whether a BOT approval would have any legal impact on investigations launched by the two agencies against Thaksin. "We have full authority to approve Khunying Pojaman's demand, but we need to clarify the legal issues first," Tarisa said. According to the Exchange Control Act, people taking money out of the Kingdom to buy property abroad in excess of US$500,000 (about Bt18.5 million) need an approval from the central bank. They are also required to present all necessary proof on the matter. Tarisa said she did not know if Khunying Pojaman included the required proof with her request. Meanwhile, the AEC said yesterday it had no objection to Pojaman's request as the matter was not under its authority. The panel's chairman, Nam Yimyaem, said the central bank had full authority over the matter. He said the AEC had received the central bank's letter last week seeking to consult the committee over the matter, but he did not reveal any information as it was considered an official secret. He said Pojaman was seeking to transfer more than Bt200 million out of the country. Meanwhile, the Assets Examination Committee yesterday resolved to press charges against seven more people suspected of being involved in the corrupt CTX bomb detectors deal. AEC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said the seven were Premchai Karnasuta, CEO of Italian-Thai Development Plc, Nijjaporn Joranachit, Premchai's sister, Takemi Yokota, Tadashi Uehara, Dominic Della Maggiora, Patriot Business Consultant Co, and Worapoj Yasadatt. They will be accused of conspiring with government officials and state agencies to commit malfeasance or corruption in violation of Article 157, 83, 86, 91 of the criminal law and Article 3 of Offences Committed by State Officials or State Agencies Act 1959. Sak said that AEC had earlier wanted Worapoj as state witness but there were additional charges against him. AEC found that Patriot wrongly reported to the Customs Department that it imported 32 drug detection machines when in fact they were bomb detectors. The five other suspects were involved because they were part of the four companies which the AEC accuses of being involved in the corrupt CTX deal. Worapoj said the AEC should have kept him as a witness as he would be more useful to the case but he was willing to cooperate.
Anoma Srisukkasem, Budsarakham Sinlapalavan The Nation
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