DSI 'allowing itself to be manipulated'

FOUNDED 11 years ago as a civilian crime investigation agency, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has lately been questioned over its stance inconsistent with professional ethics and authoritative guidelines – following a number of its decisions seen as favouring the Pheu Thai-led government politically. 

A former deputy director-general, Phinyo Thongchai, said he disagreed with a recent DSI decision, which had been ridiculed heavily on online media by opponents of the ruling party – after DSI director-general Tarit Pengdith announced that the DSI would take up what seemed to be a conventional defamation case between a Democrat MP and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Deputy Democrat spokeswoman Mallika Boonmeetrakool allegedly slandered Yingluck, through a comment on her Facebook page, coupled with an allusion relying on a Photoshopped image mocking the government leader. “Does this case have an impact on national security, or personally on an individual? Then the DSI must take action over numerous comments slandering a government leader on social media,” said Phinyo.

The DSI had taken little action over lese majeste cases posted on numerous websites, which Phinyo said was a crime affecting state security under the Criminal Code Article 112. It was a syndicated act, which Phinyo said had been carried out systematically by people with the same motive.

Phinyo, now retired, said the DSI authoritative guidelines should remain the same – based on the original objectives why this department was set up under the Justice Ministry to counterbalance the police – to handle complicated crimes, crimes with economic impact, syndicated crimes and crimes by influential figures.

He said the present DSI should especially look into cases involving money-laundering, smuggling of luxury cars and goods, tax and import tariff frauds, contraband trade and forgery of identity cards for illegal immigrants. “The DSI must not be under political influence, and stick only to cases considered special,” he added.

Phinyo cited two high-profile cases the DSI should not have taken up in the first place – donations by Democrat MPs through deduction from their salaries to the party’s bank account, and a Bt1-million donation by East Water Co to help people suffering from the massive flooding in 2011 through the opposition party.

Regarding the case of the death of billionaire businessman Akeyuth Anchanbutr, a critic of Pheu Thai’s de facto leader Thaksin, Phinyo said it should be investigated by the police as it has been – not by the DSI like many people wanted. “It is a common murder case but the public prosecutors may want the police to further probe into it, and by then the case might be taken over by the DSI,” he added.

Former interior and justice minister Purachai Piumsombun said he would put the blame on the DSI’s special board, which was authorised to approve which criminal cases to take. “The board must not favour any political party but stick to the principle that it has to serve only the country. The board must not accept any case which does not fall under its authoritative guidelines,” he added.

Purachai said the DSI was not founded to handle political cases and it would one day be reformed if its credibility dropped and the criticism against it was louder, if the board failed to follow the authoritative guidelines.