No graft found yet in water machines deal, democrats say

Korbsak

Party chairman Charoen Khathavong said yesterday that the most recent investigation steps found no party executives involved in the corruption allegation. "Only a few Democrat Party members of certain district councils in Bangkok are found taking part in the project, but no corruption has been identified in their roles," he added.

These district councillors are found to have acted a gobetween between sellers of vending machines and community leaders, Charoen said, without elaborating. He said the Democrats would not protect any party members found involved in the corruption.

In Bangkok, he said complaints about corruption had been submitted from only four of five communities, where there were competitions between the Democrat and opposition Pheu Thai Parties, out of a total of 1,900.

Charoen said he had no information about a report that Deputy Prime Minister Korbsak Sabhavasu, who oversees the project, had lobbied communities based in Prachin Buri not to submit their complaints about alleged corruption there. "I know nothing about it. My panel is tasked with looking into projects based only in Bangkok."

A House adhoc committee tasked with probing the matter has earlier summoned senior officials of the Sufficiency Economy Office for Community Development, which operates the project. Many committee members including senators later criticised SEOCD director Sumit Chaemprasit, saying that he was only trying to blame villagers of lacking true knowledge about the project and making baseless allegation and complaints.

Sumit also admitted that he was holding stocks in a company selected to operate the project, but had quit last year. He also said he knew certain executives of this company personally.

Pheu Thai MP Anudit Nakhonthap said he was disappointed that the Democrat Party panel had not yet found any wrongdoing surrounding its members. "The Democrat has full authority and direct access to obtain whatever information, but can only say that it has found no party members at fault or involved in the corruption," he said.

He said the Charoen panel's task was only to whitewash the Democrat Party, and lacked sincerity in tackling the problem.

Anudit said his party was compiling evidence implicating the Democrat Party's involvement in the corruption and was considering making it public if the party's legal advisers suggested so.