The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will today review the investigation by its subcommittee against former Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Juthamas Siriwan following the conviction of two Los Angeles movie executives by a US federal jury for paying bribes.
The two Americans were convicted for paying a former TAT governor US$1.8 million (Bt61 million) in bribes.
The NACC believes that charges could be filed within this month while the prosecution should begin by November, Methee Kongkaew, an NACC commissioner who serves as chairman of the subcommittee, said yesterday.
Juthamas was the TAT governor from 2002 to 2006 when the Greens were awarded the rights to host the Bangkok International Film Festival (BIFF) from 2002 to 2007.
A source in the tourism industry said the NACC might freeze Juthamas's assets once she is charged.
Methee said that at today's meeting, the information from the US Justice Department and the defendants, as well as the US jury's verdict, will be taken into account, to find out if a Thai official was involved in the bribery case for rights to host the film festivals.
"Initially, what we received from the Federal Bureau of Investigation is clear, particularly the financial transactions completed overseas. As we have no access to the documents, they hold significant weight in concluding this case," Methee said. He noted that if the NACC needs more information, the Office of Attorney-General would be requested to coordinate with US officials.
Methee noted that aside from the bribery case, Juthamas and a deputy governor was also accused of abuse of power.
Agence France-Presse reported yesterday that, based on a statement from the US Justice Department, Gerald Green, 77, and Patricia Green, 52, were convicted by a federal jury late Friday on charges of conspiracy, violating anti-corruption laws and money-laundering.
According to the indictment, the Greens allegedly paid $1.8 million in bribes to the former tourism chief via bank accounts in Singapore, Jersey and Britain set up in the names of the former TAT governor's daughter and a friend.
Prosecutors said the Greens had received more than $13.5 million in revenue from the contracts. Patricia Green was also found guilty of submitting false tax returns. The couple will be sentenced on December 17 and could face jail terms of more than 20 years, according to sentencing guidelines.
Associated Press earlier quoted Jonathan Lopez, a senior trial attorney with the US Justice Department, as saying that the couple paid the sum to Juthamas. The payments, some of which were allegedly in cash to Juthamas directly, were often disguised as sales commissions, ranging between 10 per cent and 20 per cent, Lopez said.
Juthamas has not yet faced any charges. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI), which first took over the case late last year, submitted a report to the NACC with the conclusion that there were grounds to take the case further.