Ex-minister faces impeachment over false asset declaration

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) had petitioned the NLA to impeach Somsak after learning that he had submitted a false asset declaration and found his wealth to be disproportionate to his known sources of income. 

In the opening statement, NACC member Narong Ratamarit said Somsak had failed to report that he owned a house in Tambon Pai Cham Sin, Angthong province, as well as certain bank deposits. 

Narong said the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders had previously convicted Somsak of intentionally submitting false asset details, which resulted in him being banned from politics and losing his post on December 2, 2008. The NACC found that the house in question was funded by Somsak, and had been built while he was holding the ministerial post. He said Somsak claimed that he had used money contributed by the Chart Thai Party to build the house. He added that the party’s former treasurer told the Supreme Court that Somsak had received Bt29 million in contributions from the party and an anonymous person. 

However, Somsak declared in his tax report that he had earned just Bt5 million between 1998 and 2006, so the NACC ruled his wealth was disproportionate to his income and asked the court to confiscate the assets he had failed to declare. The attorney-general has also filed an indictment with the court to have Somsak’s assets confiscated, and the court has accepted the suit. 

Somsak defended himself before the NLA, admitting that he had concealed his assets – not because he wanted to hide it, but because he did not understand the asset-declaration law. 

He claimed to have thought that he only had to report assets in his name, adding that the money from Chart Thai Party had gone to his wife’s family, who had spent it in the rice-milling business. The family then used the money to buy land and build the house, he said. 

He also denied being corrupt or receiving extra money as a minister, adding that during his term, he was never once censured over corruption charges. 

He also said that the party and a high-ranking party figure had given him the money as they wanted him to support them. He also pointed out that no other politician has reported cash that they receive from political parties to carry out political activities.