Amnesty bill would kill 25,355 graft cases: NACC
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The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) yesterday issued a statement opposing the amnesty bill on grounds that it would absolve thousands of graft violations, including hundreds against top politicians.
“The bill’s Article 3 will impact on the fight against corruption, good governance, promotion of honesty and international obligations for anti-corruption,” NACC member Vicha Mahakhun said.
The NACC would submit its report on the bill for the Senate to factor in during next week’s amnesty debate, Vicha said.
Highlights of the report included the legal implications of graft cases. The bill, if enacted, would derail 24 cases initiated by the Assets Examination Committee and 25,331 cases launched by the NACC. Of the total graft cases being investigated, some 400 cases involved high-level politicians and another 666 cases were already at the indictment stage.
Should the amnesty come into effect, these graft investigations would be nullified. As Thailand is a member of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the absolution for graft violations would go against the convention’s provisions.
Presently the country is undergoing a review on compliance with the UNCAC. The NACC had planned to notify the UN it would renounce the graft amnesty, if enacted, in order to shore up the country’s reputation in the international community.
NACC member Pakdee Pothisiri said the NACC, empowered to root out corruption, was obliged to notify the international community because the graft amnesty would breach the UNCAC.
NACC assistant secretary-general Thammanoon Ruengdit said cases to be nullified by the amnesty bill included five convictions. The five include the ‘unusual wealth’ involving former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, the Ratchadaphisek land deal involving Thaksin’s ex-wife Khunying Pojaman na Pombejra and tax evasion involving Pojaman and her brother Bhanapot Damapong.
The remaining two cases are the firetruck purchase, and the rubber-sampling procurement.
Cases under judicial review, such as the two- and three-digit lottery, the Exim Bank loans, the conversion of telecom concession and the Krung Thai loans, would collapse.
Eight cases being investigated by the NACC would be closed.
