PTT ‘must give back offshore pipelines’

The Ombudsman’s Office has filed a new case in the Administrative Court against 11 defendants for the “incomplete” return of PTT assets to the state, arguing that assets worth another Bt52.39 billion need to be given back.
However, Supot Laosu-arbha, a senior executive at the national oil and gas giant – a publicly listed company, said in a statement that there was no new legal issue in the case as PTT had already returned onshore natural gas pipelines to the Finance Ministry in 2008, as ruled by the court.
PTT stock yesterday closed up Bt2 at Bt280.
Supot said a ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court on February 16 last year reaffirmed that PTT had returned all state assets to the Finance Ministry, so it was unlikely the court would accept a new case for further deliberation.
There were a total of four cases filed with the court between 2007 and 2012 concerning the return of state assets to the Finance Ministry.
According to Siracha Vongsarayankura, the chief Ombudsman, PTT previously gave back assets worth Bt16.17 billion to the Finance Ministry – but still needs to return remaining assets worth no less than Bt52.39 billion.
The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy, PTT and former ministers are among the 11 defendants in the new case. They are accused of making false statements, being negligent in official duties and other wrongdoing concerning the “incomplete” return of state-owned assets that are still controlled by PTT.
Siracha said the defendants had not abided by the law and he was seeking to overturn Cabinet resolutions dated December 18, 2007 and August 10, 2010 involving the return of assets and expropriated land, and the rights of private landowners whose land was used for the natural gas pipelines.
Based on the Cabinet resolutions, onshore assets worth Bt16.17 billion, according to their book value as of September 30, 2001, and gas pipeline systems, including those used in the Bang Pakong-Wangnoi project, the Thailand-Myanmar border-Ratchaburi project and the Ratchaburi-Wangnoi project were already returned to the state.
However, the chief Ombudsman said more assets worth another Bt52.39 needed to be returned to the Finance Ministry. These assets are mainly offshore pipelines and related assets.
According to the new filing, the state and PTT’s rights have to be separated as public assets and rights to the land were involved in laying down the pipeline systems.

Former ministers named
Siracha said the officials from the Energy and Finance ministries and
PTT had jointly presented false statements and concealed facts about the
offshore and onshore fuel pipeline
systems.
The agencies are accused of failing to abide by the law, exercising authority beyond their legal duty and negligence of their official duties leading to damages against the state and people.
“We’ve spent more than three years in this case and found more gas pipelines which have not yet been disclosed. We believe the evidence is sufficient for the case,” he said.
Others named as defendants in the case include former finance ministers Chalongphob Sussangkarn and Korn Chatikavanij, former deputy finance minister Ranongrak Suwanchawee, former energy minister Piyasvasti Amranand, former energy minister Wannarat Channukul, former deputy director general at the Treasury Department Prasit Suebchana, former state property development adviser at the Treasury Department Amnuay Preemonwong, PTT and former PTT president Prasert Bunsumpun.