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Published on March 28, 2008

The Assets Examination Committee (AEC), the graft-busting agency that has carried out corruption investigations mainly against the Thaksin administration, is not confident that it can wrap up all the cases it has worked on for 21 months.

Of 15 cases, nine cases have yet to be forwarded to a court or public prosecutors for indictment, even though the AEC's term is to end in June.

Announcement No 30 of the Council for Democratic Reform said that if the AEC's term ended before the cases were wrapped up, the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) would take over.

AEC member Banjerd Singkaneti said in a special interview with The Nation that the AEC did not want to rush through the investigations just because its term was nearing its end.

"We have to make sure there are no holes in the investigation files, so we cannot finish the investigations within our term,'" he said. He said time was not the problem because the NCCC would take over the cases that the AEC had not finished.

Banjerd said the AEC could wrap up cases where the AEC investigative panel had questioned all witnesses and was about to make recommendations. Cases where more witnesses are yet to give testimony will not be completed.

AEC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang hoped the body would wrap up the investigation of the remaining cases to forward to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holder by the end of June. He expects the court will issue verdicts for all the cases within this year because once the court accepts the suit, it will work on the case every day.

He said the AEC was responsible for bringing the cases to court, which would then decide whether it would accept the suit or rule on who was guilty. "We do not have high expectations that we can nail down every suspect in every case. But we are confident that we have solid cases. If we do not have expectation, we will not be disappointed. This is the truth. We also work in a straightforward manner, not to work in revenge of anyone or in support of anyone. This is our philosophy,'' he said.

AEC member Udom Fuangfung said the AEC had tightened the rules by refusing to allow witnesses to postpone testimonies so that it can wrap up investigation within three months. He said the AEC hoped to complete all the cases and ensure they are substantiated.

The fact that the Office of the Attorney General did not give the nod for the indictment in the two-and-three-digit lottery case and the rubber sapling case poses concerns about whether the graft-probing agency will face the same obstacle of taking corrupt politicians to court.

Sak said if the AEC's term ended, the OAG would have to set up a joint panel with the NCCC to work on the cases that the OAG believed lacked evidence or were not substantiated.

If public prosecutors did not accept suits levelled by the AEC, as happened with the lottery and rubber sapling cases, the AEC is not to blame, he added. "After our term ends, the agency that takes over the case must be accountable for why the corruption suits are dropped,'' he said.

BUDSARAKHAM SINLAPALAVAN,

KORNCHANOK RAKSASERI,

BANCHA KHAENGKHAN

THE NATION