NACC resolves to file criminal charges against Boonsong, Poom
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The National Anti-Corruption Commission Tuesday resolved to charge former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyaphirom and former deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol for having abused rice in the government stockpile.
NACC Wicha Mahakhun said the NACC decided to file corruption charges against Boonsong and Poom in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders in the fake government-to-government rice deal case.
The two have claimed that the government had won a deal to sell its rice bought from farmers under the rice-pledging scheme to the Chinese government.
But the NACC’s fact finding committee said business firms that were commissioned to undertake the G-to-G deal actually sold the rice locally, instead of exporting them and they also claimed tax refunds form the government.
The NACC alleged that the rice was sold from the government stock to Guangdong Stationery & Sporting Goods Imp. & Exp. Corp. Hainan Grain And Oil Industrial Trading Company at cheap prices and the firms resold them to Siam Indica for reselling the rice in Thailand.
Wicha alleged that Boonsong and Poom violated both the government bidding law and the NACC act.
Wicha said the two would face charges along with 17 other accomplices and two companies.
He said the NACC would also summon over 100 rice trading firms to be questioned and they might be sued to pay compensations to the government with a total value of Bt600 billion.
