• 
• 

Published on January 31, 2008

Newly appointed Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday blamed an "invisible hand" as the mastermind behind the National Counter Corruption Commission's probe on him for malfeasance when he was Bangkok governor.

The NCCC yesterday appointed a panel to investigate Samak after the Office of the Attorney General filed a complaint accusing him of circumventing laws to manage three garbage-incineration projects worth Bt9 billion.

The probe was ordered the day Samak received a royal command to become premier.

"Political harassment starts from day one. It is an order from the invisible hand to do this," he said.

He said the timing of the probe showed it was "100-per-cent political harassment and discrimination".

"Garbage has been incinerated over three years. The probe will not bring me problems. They just want to tarnish my name," he said.

He threatened to fight back.

"If the NCCC can dig up the garbage projects three years back, I will ask the NCCC why didn't it probe 16 projects worth Bt20 billion? Some government officials had to leave office after investigation. Why didn't the NCCC act then?" he said.

NCCC spokesman Klanarong Chantik denied Samak's allegation that the agency discriminated against him.

"We are not biased. We do our job without being biased. If we are biased, we can be taken to court on civil and criminal suits. We can be sent to jail," he said.

"It does not mean people who face a probe by an investigative committee are always guilty.

"The committee will investigate what happened. If no offence was committed, the complaint will be dropped."

Asked if he felt under stress by the PM's threat to fight back, Klanarong said no.

"Even though the person who is being probed is the PM, we do not feel any pressure. The NCCC has always looked into high-ranking officials from PMs, ministers, permanent secretaries and director-generals," he said.

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation