Anti-graft chief ‘has no issue’ with authority of OAG to initially probe NACC officials under new l

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Friday passed the organic law governing the OAG, endorsing its authority to probe anti-corruption officials, although some revision was made to clauses in the previous draft.
A proposal to grant authority to the auditor-general to conduct an initial investigation into officials of the NACC was the major point of concern during the draft organic law’s deliberation by the NLA. 
Legislators eventually agreed to revise the clauses to limit the auditor-general’s role to “notifying” the NACC if any irregularities involving anti-corruption officials were discovered during the OAG’s audit work.
The revised clauses would still allow the OAG to conduct an initial investigation, but it must be in line with the NACC’s rules and not affect the work of officials at the anti-graft agency. 
If the agency’s work were affected, officials could petition to halt the probe and pass it on to the NACC.
Watcharapol said NACC officials had earlier opposed the proposal, as they deemed the unrevised version as potentially detrimental to them carrying out their work. 
However, as the contentious clauses have been revised, the issue is now considered as being closed, he added.
In regard to the NACC draft bill, which will be deliberated by the NLA on November 2, the NACC wishes to see changes to the body’s work timeframe set by the new bill, as officials are concerned about the issue, as well as the proposed penalties for missing deadlines, its president stressed.
Watcharapol also said that in regard to two suspended cases against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the NACC was now in the process of submitting a request to the Supreme Court to resume the cases.
The cases in question were temporarily disposed of by the court under the old law governing procedures against political office holders, but can be resumed under the new version of the law.