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Former city clerk Natthanon Thaweesin filed a compliant suggesting bidding collusion in the BRT project, which prompted the DSI to take up the case. An investigator said yesterday the DSI would sum¬mons all parties involved, including the governor.

With the Democrat Party having decided to back him to run for a second term as Bangkok Governor, Apirak said yesterday he was confident the BRT allegations would not affect voting because "people can think for themselves".

Apirak said the BRT project was set up transparently and, a factfinding panel of experts from the Office of the AttorneyGeneral (OAG), the Lawyers' Council of Thailand and the Comptroller General's Department had been set up to look into the allegations after they were raised.

The panel found that the bid winner, Bestlin Group Ltd, and its competitor Print Import Export Co Ltd did not have a conflict of interest as of the bid submission day, he said.

The panel also asked OAG to help consider a suspicion that the two firms' shareholders held shares in a third bidder, Sunlong Motor (Thailand) Co Ltd.

The city contacted DSI about these suspicions and assigned deputy city clerk Wanwilai Phromlakkhano, who chaired the factfinding panel and city clerk Pongsak Semsan to explain all the points, he said.

As for why the city assigned Krungthep Thanakhom Co to manage the project when the firm was not experienced in public transport management, Apirak said he could explain this point because the Council of State had ruled that this could be done legally.