I'm not source of graft claim : Dussadee tells DSI
Play
Former graft-buster Dussadee Arayawut told the Department of Special Investigation yesterday that he was not the source of claims that Bt16 billion had been skimmed off anti-flooding projects.
Dussadee, former secretary general of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission who is now deputy permanent secretary at the Justice Ministry, said he told the DSI he had nothing to do with the allegation about money sent to Hong Kong and did not want to get involved in politicking on the issue.
He said he explained to Nirand Adulsak, chief of Special Cases Division 1 at the DSI, he was not the person who tipped off Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, secretary-general of the National Anti-Corruption Network, about the supposed siphoning of funds and did not want act as a witness in the case.
Mongkolkit claims Dussadee had told him about the alleged siphoning of the money, which the NACN claims was wired to Hong Kong for “laundering”.
Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit then filed a complaint with the DSI seeking legal action against Mongkolkit and Dussadee for stirring up concern about alleged graft.
Dussadee said he had never met Mongkolkit in person and had never been asked about money earmarked for flood victims.
Meanwhile, Nirand told reporters that the DSI was not making a case yet out of the accusations, and that he was just questioning Dussadee – and Prompong today – before submitting initial reports to DSI chief Tarit Pengdith.
Tarit has also said that investigation into the case had not started yet and that the DSI has simply invited Dussadee to provide details.
Tarit said he and Sihanart Prayoonrat, secretary-general of the Anti-Money Laundering Office, were summoned by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung to a meeting today.
Chalerm said would talk to Tarit and Sihanart today, adding that the story had no grounds but was cooked up to attack former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Meanwhile, Pol Lt-Colonel Santhana Prayoonrat, a former Special Branch officer, submitted documents to national police chief General Adul Saengsinkaew calling for probes into certain operators of non-bank foreign-exchange businesses.
Santhana said if the Bt16 billion was really transferred overseas, it would have gone through such money transfer businesses.
Meanwhile, Apinan Issarangkura na Ayutthaya, former secretary-general of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, said Mongkolkit once sought to coordinate with the Hong Kong anti-graft agency because he wanted to study anti-corruption operations in the city state.
Apinan said he had written to the Hong Kong agency, but it went silent after learning about the status of NACN.
He said he was not certain if Mongkolkit had visited Hong Kong to study anti-graft operations, but the NACC official who Mongkolkit said had accompanied him on the September 7 trip was actually in a meeting with Apinan on that day. He added that the NACC had never appointed Mongkolkit as the member of any sub-committee as claimed.
