PM deems it unnecessary to increase cap on gifts to state officials
It is unnecessary to amend an anti-graft regulation and raise the ceiling on the value of gifts that state officials can accept, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday.
The PM said he had instructed concerned agencies, including the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), not to amend the regulation as he considered there was no need to do so.
If gifts to officials have a value beyond the current Bt3,000 cap, there is a guideline that they should be reported and given to the offices of those who receive them.
The issue emerged shortly after Prayut’s recent trip to the lower North, during which he bought three pricey Bangkaew dogs and said he would give them to his ministers.
He later retracted the statement after a complaint was filed against him in regard to the NACC cap of Bt3,000 per gift.
Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam was then among the first to reveal that the NACC was considering amending the regulation in order to raise the ceiling.
This drew strong criticism before the NACC stepped back, saying that the matter required consultation with concerned parties first.
Wissanu later said that if the NACC would not amend the regulation, the matter could also be addressed in other laws, including the conflicts of interest prevention bill, which is currently being scrutinised in Parliament.