Amnuay Thantara, chairman of the AEC subcommittee looking into the allegations, said his panel decided to allow Suriya another 30 days until June 1 after Suriya's lawyer Boonsong Termwat submitted a letter from Siriraj Hospital that showed Suriya was ill and needed to be hospitalised for three weeks.

Amnuay said his panel also cross-checked with hospital personnel and found that Suriya had been admitted to hospital for treatment, because he was emitting blood through excretion and nausea.

It is the second time Suriya has cited health reasons to postpone the meeting.

Amnuay said the decision to let Suriya delay his testimony was unanimous, as the panel members agreed illness was beyond anyone's control and that Suriya did not intend to drag the case out.

However, Amnuay said his panel would still be able to wrap up the investigation before the AEC's term ends.

Meanwhile, AEC chairman Nam Yimyaem said he was not troubled that Pojaman Shinawatra had lodged a libel suit against him for a media interview in which he said that if she had unlawfully bought land on Ratchadaphisek Road, then that land must be seized.

"This is trivial. I'm prepared for libel cases, because that is the nature of my work [investigating corruption]. I was simply making an analogy as an example, that if anyone receives an asset through robbery, then that asset must be seized," he said.