DSI: East Water gave Democrats Bt1 million

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) yesterday produced evidence, claiming the East Water Group had committed an offence by donating Bt1 million to the Democrat Party for flood relief.
DSI chief Tarit Pengdith said his agency had recently found that East Water Company had donated through a Kasikornbank cheque for Bt1 million and transferred it to a Democrat Party Krung Thai Bank account on November 15, 2010.
The bank account was opened on November 2, 2010, aimed at raising donations for flood relief, by the party’s deputy leader Suthep Thaugsuban, party treasurer Anchalee Wanich Theppabutr, and party director Nattaphon Thipsuwan, Tarit told The Nation.
Earlier, former Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan had accused the Democrat Party of violating the law as the party had received a donation from East Water Group.
He said East Water could face punishment as state-run agencies are not allowed to donate money to a political party for any purpose. The government holds more than 50 per cent stake in East Water Group.
“The evidence showed that East Water Group intended to donate the money to the Democrat Party,” Jatuporn said.
It did not matter the donation had gone into the government’s pocket for flood relief. The fact was East Water Group had donated its money to the Democrat Party and the party had received the favour of a donation, he added.
“It is the duty of the Election Commission to conduct another investigation to find out whether the Democrat Party has violated the Political Party Law or not,” Tarit said.
He said he has no political motivation to conduct the investigation into the donation case.
“I am just doing my job,” he insisted.
On the Blue Sky Channel yesterday, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva declared the party had been sincere in only acting as a middleman.
“The Democrat Party didn’t use the donation money for its benefit. The company donated the money through our party and we transferred it to the Flood Disaster Fund with the donation certificate marked ‘East Water Company’. We didn’t act as if it was donated by the Democrats.”
Abhisit said the party had reported this already to the Election Commission through the annual report. Abhisit also warned Tarit to watch his words and to focus on his duty in a transparent way.
“When I was Prime Minister, I never interferred in his duty, nor did I ask him to serve the political scene. I would ask him now to do his duty with good governance and transparency.” Abhisit said.
Pheu Thai spokesman, Prompong Nopparit produced a copy of the Democrat Party’s donation savings account and a copy of a cashier cheque from East Water Company. He said it showed the Democrat Party received money from East Water Company but there was no evidence that the party had passed it on to the Flood Disaster Fund.
He also mentioned the loss of interest from the Bt1-million donation that was kept in the party’s savings account for a month before being handed over to the Fund. This raised the suspicion that East Water was asked for the donation, he said.