"When I was in charge of the Information and Communication Technology Ministry, Thaksin never interfered with the dispensing of my duties and I always upheld the national interest in all my decisions," he said.

Surapong's remarks came one day after a fact-finding panel under the Assets Examination Commit-tee (AEC) found probable cause to suspect graft violations stemming from the 2003 move. The panel, chaired by Kaewsan Atibhodi, has recommended the AEC launch an indictment hearing to name

culprits and spell out charges - a mandatory pre-trial step.

"I am disappointed in the Kaewsan report, which I think contains one-sided information,"

He denied acting as Thaksin's henchman to favour AIS (Advanced Info Service), the mobile phone firm then under the control of Thaksin's family.

He said the excise tax was justified because revenues went straight to the coffers of the Finance Ministry instead of via  TOT Plc and CAT Telecom, which no longer had the mandate to regulate the telecom industry.

The telecom excise did not pose a barrier for newcomers in the telecom industry, as alleged, he said. And cancellation of concession fees did not cause Bt50 billion in damages to the state. Surapong claimed his decision boosted investor confidence and resulted in increased capitalisation in the stock market.

In conclusion, he said he made his decision with honest intent. While there were similarities between the excise-concession conversion scheme and a study done by Shin Corp chief Boonklee Plangsiri, the actual levying of excise did not completely mirror Boonklee's idea.