The Law Society of Thailand yesterday expressed confidence it would be able to file the case involving the Alpine Golf Club land scandal with the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders before the statute of limitations expires this Saturday.
The NACC turned to the society after public prosecutors decided not to pursue the case, claiming the NACC's investigation report was flawed.
"We have only two weeks to do this job before the statute of limitation ends on the 21st," Sak said at the time.
In February, the NACC concluded that former deputy interior minister Snoh Thienthong, who is now leader of the opposition Pracharaj Party, had committed abuse of power and criminal coercion, offences that carry a maximum punishment of execution.
In February 1990, Snoh allegedly ordered a Buddhist temple that owned a land plot in Pathum Thani donated by a wealthy woman to transfer it to a foundation.
On August 21 that year, the company that operates the Alpine Golf Club, in which Snoh's wife and brother were shareholders, bought the land in question from the foundation for Bt142 million.
In 1998, businessman Thaksin Shinawatra, who would later become prime minister, bought the golf course for Bt500 million.
It is against the law to buy or sell monastic land. The statute of limitation for the case is 20 years.
The NACC also found that Yongyuth Wichaidit, who was then acting permanent secretary at the Interior Ministry and is now the non-MP leader of the opposition Pheu Thai Party, was also involved in the alleged wrongdoing.
Five other people - former Land Department and Interior Ministry officials - were also accused of involvement. However, for two of them the statute of limitation has ended, one has died, and the other two were eventually found to have no involvement.
NACC member Klanarong Chantik said the Office of the Attorney-General had informed the agency that the commission's case was incomplete, and therefore a joint working group was set up to interrogate 10 additional witnesses.
The OAG concluded that the witness testimonies did not show Snoh had committed any severe wrongdoing.
Klanarong said the NACC had therefore decided to bring the case to court itself with the aid of the Law Society of Thailand.
Sak said that when the NACC and the OAG failed to find common ground on cases against politicians, the NACC often turned to the lawyers' association for legal aid in bringing the case to court by itself.
Such cases included those of the two- and three-digit lottery and Export-Import Bank of Thailand's loan to Burma, as well as the rubber-seedlings case against Thaksin and his Cabinet members.
Sak said that although the public prosecutors had viewed each of those cases as incomplete, the court admitted all of them for trial.