ASC wants assets seized

[sandman67]

The Assets Scrutiny Committee pushed forward with another case against ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday, charging the ex-premier with corruption and abuse-of-power and asking the Supreme Court to permanently seize all 76.6 billion baht it has frozen from him and the Shinawatra family.

ASC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said panel chairman Nam Yimyam would submit the charges on Thursday at the Supreme Court division in charge of cases against persons with political positions.

The ASC charges sought a court ruling to confiscate the 76.6 billion baht family assets earlier frozen.

The charges allege that Mr Thaksin had abused his official power and committed various malfeasance while in office, "to reap otherwise unattainable profits for himself and his family as well as among a wider circle of relatives," the ASC spokesman charged.

The charges involve alleged concealment and transfer of stocks in Shin Corp, Ample Rich Investment Co and the Winmark Co from Mr Thaksin and his wife, Khunying Potjaman, to their children and relatives. They claim the family circle reaped undue gains from an Excise Tax shelter for Shin Corp and undue gains for AIS Co over the state-owned TOT Corp's pre-paid telephone system.

In addition, Mr Thaksin and his family had unduly benefitted from an iPSTAR satellite project connection with a 4 billion baht loan by the Export-Import Bank to Burma, in exchange for the purchase of a Shin Satellite system by the Burmese dictatorship.

In addition to Mr Thaksin and Khunying Potjaman, other persons including high-ranking officials of CAT Telecom Corp and TOT Corp could be prosecuted by the National Counter Corruption Commission on similar charges.

The term of the ASC, set up by the military junta after the Sept 19, 2006 coup to investigate the ex-premier, ends next month. It has pressed several cases directly to the Supreme Court, and is expected to file others before it leaves.

Mr Sak said the panel will submit another case to the Office of the Attorney General on Wednesday. It will allege corruption by government officials including former transport minister Suriya Jungrungruangkit in the dodgy purchase of CTX bomb detectors for Suvarnabhumi airport. (TNA)

Bangkok Post :- http://www.bangkokpost.net/topstories/t ... ?id=127847

Comment: That would be a big old boost for the economy!