NACC to probe more officials
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The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) panel probing alleged irregularities in the rice-pledging scheme has decided to interrogate more officials and people involved in the programme after deciding it does not have enough evidence to substantiate
The panel said it had not yet found evidence to determine whether rice trading between Thai and Chinese government representatives was carried out under an official government-to-government scheme.
Facing investigation are Manat Soiploy, former director-general of the Department of Trade; former deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol; Guangdong Stationery & Sporting Goods Import & Export Corp; Hainan Grain & Oil Industrial Trading Company; Siam Indica Co Ltd; and people linked to that company.
The NACC panel said the G2G trading was believed to have caused losses to the rice-pledging scheme because rice would be sold at less than the market price.
However, the Customs Department reported that from August 2011 to June this year, Thailand exported 375,000 tonnes of rice to China from the total of 4.8 million tonnes that it is supposed to hand over to China under the contract.
