"Actually the Finance Ministry can lodge a complaint conveniently because it is so close to the AEC. They can even walk around their fence to get here,'' Nam said.

He said deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had put off hearing malfeasance charges against him in regard to the baggage scanners purchased for the new airport. He was scheduled to hear the charge today but postponed the hearing till April 18 without giving reasons.

Nam said the AEC may probe irregularities in the contract signed between Airports of Thailand Plc and King Power to operate duty-free and tax-free shops at Survarnabhumi Airport. He said that if the AEC could not complete the investigation before its term ends, the National Counter Corruption Commission could take the case.

Interior Minister Aree Wongsearaya defended himself against criticism that he did not lodge a complaint over the illegal two-and three-digit lotteries, saying he lodged the complaint on Tuesday. Nam said the Interior Ministry lodged the complaint only after the AEC twice sent him letters asking them to.

The AEC found irregularities in the Bt4 billion loans that Exim Bank extended to Burma to improve its infrastructure and telecoms sector. The approval of the credit line was said to have favoured Shin Satellite, the firm then partly owned by Thaksin's family. Investigators are also probing if Burma correctly followed the condition for the loan that it must purchase materials from Thailand's telecom equipment suppliers. Burma spent over Bt1 billion to buy IP Stars of Shin Satellite Plc. "The purchase of IP Stars did not benefit Thailand in any way,'' the source said.

The AEC said that the loan was

earlier set at Bt3 billion but later Bt900 million more was added to the total loan. "We are investigating who gave

the order to give more funds,'' the

source said.