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Published on July 18, 2007

It will be the ninth such action by the Assets Examination Committee. Jaruvan will seek approval from committee chairman Nam Yimyaem this week.

The auditor-general chairs its subcommittee charged with tracing "missing money" from the sale of Shin Corp shares in January last year.

Lawyers of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra insisted yesterday that the AEC intentionally overturned a favourable Constitution Court asset-concealment ruling.

A spokesman for the lawyers, Prakiat Nasimma, said the committee could not distance the ruling from its current activities.

The ruling declared that Thaksin did not own shares while holding office. However, the committee froze assets on the grounds Thaksin was the beneficial owner of the shares at the time.

"What the committee is doing overturned the Constitution Court ruling," he argued.

Prakiat also said the committee could not make a regulation allowing it to offer rewards for information leading to the discovery of Thaksin's assets equal to 25 per cent of their value. He again questioned the committee's motives.

He demanded it reveal the identities of those providing information following the conclusion of its investigation.

Prakiat said a regulation that allowed the chairman to endorse or approve those who receive rewards was "weak".

Noppadon Pattama, another legal adviser for Thaksin, claimed the former PM was "strapped for cash" because of the asset freezes. His lawyers would challenge the orders' legality in a few days.

Meanwhile, the chairman of a panel probing rubber-sapling purchases, Banjerd Singkaneti, said 48 people, including Thaksin, had submitted defences to the charges. Another 42 were yet to appear to hear the allegations.

Investigations into an Export-Import Bank loan to Burma and telecom excise taxes would conclude in September, Banjerd said.

Budsarakham  Sinlapalavan

The Nation