Audit panel to review PTT chief's move to join F&N board

Pailin could lose the top job, but perhaps Thais should pray that he will be the last person to come into focus over the obscure set of rules which leave big room for politically motivated interpretation and a lame excuse to oust state enterprise chiefs. 

Pailin accepted the invitation from F&N in February, but it did not stir criticism till June – after he had stepped down. 

This raises a big question why PTT’s board never asked him about this. 

The audit committee, chaired by Chulasingh Vasantasingh, was asked to conduct an inquiry only when a group of people filed a petition. 

Pailin was appointed as PTT’s CEO in September 2011. 

He was the first president of the national oil and gas company appointed by an open selection process since the group was privatised in 2001.

Pailin resigned from the F&N post in May. He already sent an internal letter to executives and employees to explain his reason for taking the post of independent director at F&N – that he wanted to learn the management style at this international company and apply the knowledge to manage PTT. 

He added that before assuming the post at F&N, he consulted with many experienced people and had studied PTT’s “ways” in the past, and this led him to think he could take the post. Pailin has affirmed that it was not a conflict of interest and did not affect PTT’s operations in the least.

Teerachart Pangwiroonrak, deputy chairman of the House of Representatives’ anti corruption committee, said the committee has asked PTT acting chairman Chulasingh and Pailin to be discuss the case on Thursday (July 4) to see if Pailin had breached Article 8 (2) of the Act on the qualification of board directors and employees of state enterprises from 1975.

The PTT audit committee will start the probe on July 12 and is expected to submit a conclusion to the PTT board on July 26. 

A source of the Energy Ministry said that Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal is reportedly not happy with Pailin, for allegedly not responding quickly to his policies and orders.   

Both Pongsak and Pailin graduated from Chulalongkorn’s Engineering Faculty and Pongsak was senior to Pailin. 

The same source said Pailin was seen as having been backed by Chart Pattana party as the selection committee that appointed him was set up when the energy minister was Wannarat Charnnukul, the leader of Chart Pattana.

Pailin has insisted that he is a professional manager and does not belong to any faction. He insists that PTT needs to be run by professionals. 

Before Pailin’s appointment, there was speculation that Tevin Vongvanich, the head of PTT Exploration and Production, would get the top job.

The same source said it was not surprising that the Tevin’s name was being mentioned again as a possible candidate to replace Pailin if the latter is removed from the post. Tevin also graduated from Chulalongkorn University’s engineering faculty.