Thaksin sues AEC over assets freeze for Bt50 billion

The lawsuit, filed with the Civil Court, seeks the massive amount of compensation from the chairman and 11 other members of the Assets Examination Committee (AEC) for illegally freezing Thaksin's assets.

"The AEC issued the order with the intent of political persecution. The order was unfair and biased," said Noppadon Pattama, legal adviser and defacto spokesman for the Shinawatra family.

The lawyer alleged that the AEC committed malfeasance for issuing the freeze orders, which do not conform to the National Counter Corruption Commission's rules and the AntiMoney Laundering Law.

He alleged that the AEC discriminated against Thaksin by not freezing the assets of others accused of corruption in the CTX bomb detection machine scandal, the twoand threedigit lottery scheme and the purchase of rubber saplings.

The team of lawyers will next week sue the AEC on criminal charges.

Noppadon added that Thaksin's wife Pojaman, their children Panthongtae and Pingthongta, and Thaksin's brotherinlaw Bhanapot Damapong will also file similar lawsuits against the AEC for freezing their bank accounts.

AEC chairman Nam Yimyaem said that Pojaman broke the antigraft law by not turning up yesterday to give testimony on tax evasion allegations in the Shin Corp share sale.

Nam said he believed the deposed prime minsiter's wife violated the National Counter Corruption Law with her failure to show up, even though her lawyer submitted a letter showing her intention not to give statements.

He said Pojaman can refuse to give testimony but she still has to turn herself in before the AEC as summoned, and she cannot use representatives or lawyers to submit letters.

He said that under Announcement Number 30 of the Council for Democratic Reform, the AEC has the right to summon witnesses to give testimony and those who resist a summons are regarded as having broken the NCCC law.

Nam was commenting after Somporn Pongsuwan, Pojaman's lawyer, submitted the letter declaring her intention not to give statements to Viroj Laohapan, chairman of an AEC subcommittee investigating the Shin Corp share sale.

Somporn said Pojaman was overseas and could not return due to health problems. He said Pinthongta Shinawatra, Thaksin's daughter, will also submit a letter in the same manner.

Viroj said he would seek an AEC ruling on how to solve the problem of the Shinawatra family refusing to give statements.

Kaewsan Atibodhi, chairman of a panel probing the Ban Ua Arthorn housing project said his panel found that a powerful figure demanded a kickback of Bt150,000 per house from a construction company. The panel is focusing its investigation on the operations of four construction companies.

"We have evidence to incriminate all the culprits. We hope they do not flee before the case is wrapped up," he said.

Udom Fuangfung, chairman of the panel probing the Ratchadapisek land purchase scandal, said he would recommend that the AEC ask the Department of Special Investigations to further investigate and press charges against Financial Institutions Development Fund officials.

The DSI will be asked to investigate if the three companies joining the bidding committed the offence of collusion in a state auction.

Udom said that if there was bidding collusion, Pojaman will also be charged for the offence. It is a separate offence from the one that the court has already agreed to hear, he said.

Udom said he is not worried about the civil suit filed by Thaksin's lawyers seeking Bt50 billion in compensation because he had performed his duty and did everything by the law with solid evidence to support him. The AEC is mapping out regulations on the expenses to fight the court cases and public prosecutors will provide the AEC with the legal support.

AEC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said that although the suit demands huge compensation, AEC members are not disheartened and will not quit.

Budsarakham Sinlapalavan

The Nation