Action sought on Shinawatra case
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The opposition Democrat Party yesterday petitioned relevant state agencies asking them to expedite a criminal case relating to the securities law against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her relatives, involving alleged false certification of docume
Democrat MPs Korn Chatika-vanij and Wirut Kalayasiri called on the Election Commission, Revenue Department and Finance Ministry to take action before the case lapses under the statute of limitations at the end of this month, according to posts on social media accounts with ties to the Opposition party.
The Democrats said Yingluck; Panthongtae and Pinthongta Shinawatra, children of the PM’s brother Thaksin; and Bannapot Damapong, Thaksin’s former brother-in-law, falsely certified documents used in the trial in which ex-PM Thaksin was accused of concealing his wealth by transferring shares to other people.
In February 2010, the Supreme Court ordered the seizure of Bt46 billion of Thaksin’s assets earned unlawfully while serving as prime minister. The court found that he had concealed his holding of shares in the family business, Shin Corp, while in office and that he pretended to have sold them to his children and relatives, though no actual payment was made.
The Democrats yesterday also called on the relevant authorities to ensure that the Bt12 billion in unpaid tax on the share sale should be collected from Thaksin, according to messages on Team-Korn Chatika-vanij Page on Facebook and the @TeamKorn_DP on Twitter.
The Revenue Department decided not to pursue a case against Panthongtae and Pinthongta, citing the court verdict that the shares actually belonged to Thaksin.
“The tax should be collected from the real owner,” said a message in the @TeamKorn_DP account.
“A tax of Bt12 billion was incurred from the transaction. If no tax is collected from his children due to the court ruling that the shares belong to the father, the tax should be collected from the father in full,” a message on the Team-Korn Chatikavanij Page read.
Thawatchai Pittayasophon, director for corporate affairs at the Securities and Exchange Commis-sion, said yesterday that the office received a letter from a representative of the Democrat Party requesting the office speed up the investigation of the assets-concealment case involving Thaksin Shinawatra.
However, he said, the office would have to consider whether any additional information had come to light. He declined to unveil details of the letter.
