Compensation unlikely for bogus GT200s, says Wissanu

In June, former British cop James McCormick, who is serving a 10-year jail term for selling the dud devices, was ordered to forfeit 7.94 million pounds (Bt400 million) to his customers.

But Wissanu said: “Such devices were sold in three brands. It is clear that we didn’t buy any ADE-branded device, which was covered in the Old Bailey court ruling. Hence we are not a plaintiff in this case – we cannot ask for the compensation. 

“The court has already decided on which countries will get compensation and Thailand wasn’t included.”

In relation to the bogus GT200 bomb detector that Thailand did purchase from McCormick, Wissanu said a British court had already made its ruling in regard to the associated criminal offences but there had been no ruling on civil lawsuits. 

“If the court rules that the accused company has to pay compensation, Thailand might have a chance there [of getting money],” he said, adding that the company’s impounded assets would barely cover the plaintiffs’ losses. 

He said Thailand would have to decide whether it was worth filing a lawsuit. 

The number of potential lawsuits from various Thai state agencies stood at almost 20.

Most lawsuits related to the manufacturer but a number of state officials were being investigated over alleged violations of the Act on Offences Relating to the Submission of Bids to State Agencies, he said. 

Wissanu said a second meeting involving the agencies yielded additional information but there were several unanswered questions that would be answered when the results of a fact-finding probe by the National Anti-Corruption Commission are known in September.