Anti-graft agency to hear testimony from former police chief on building project
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THE ANTI-GRAFT agency has agreed to hear testimony from a former police chief about corruption in a project to construct 396 police stations, Vicha Mahakun, a member of National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), said yesterday.
The NACC extended the investigation to cover Pol General Prateep Tanprasert, a former acting police chief, as he was not originally a part of the probe by an investigative subcommittee, Vicha said.
Earlier, the NACC allowed Phra Suthep Paphakaro or Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister who was accused of wrongdoing, to explain his actions.
There was no update from Phra Suthep after he had given explanations a couple of times, but the NACC still had to continue investigating the other person, he said.
“For now, we don’t aim to cover anyone else but Prateep. We will scrutinise again on the evidence he will provide – if it matches or clashes with the original inquiry.
“Phra Suthep thinks he did not provide a direct order at the time. It was rather the Royal Thai Police, his then-underling agency, that proposed the project to him and mismanaged it.
“This complication is also why we have to scrutinise the case”, Vicha said, referring to how Phra Suthep seemed confident of his innocence.
He also responded on whether he questioned Phra Suthep’s explanation, “We have to be detailed in every bit. However he explained to us, we have to see if there is any suspicion, or if we have to find other evidence.
“Every day, we make a list of what to do in each month, especially the cases we are in charge with. We try to complete them before many of us will finish our terms in October.
“Fortunately, the law allows us to act in charge until there is a replacement, and that’s when we will be set to finish important cases,” he said.
