PACC to decide rice suspects’ fate by June

The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission’s (PACC) processing of 987 cases associated with the rice-pledging scandal during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration expects to decide on the level of suspects’ involvement by June.

PACC secretary-general Prayong Preeyachitt yesterday said the investigation is about 40% complete and making steady progress.

Mr Prayong was speaking after a meeting of the Centre for National Anti-Corruption (CNAC) yesterday.

When all the information is received, the PACC will decide whether certain suspects are implicated.

The cases will then be forwarded to prosecutors and state organisations concerned for further action.

As for the implementation of eight orders by National Council for Peace and Order chief and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha under Section 44 of the interim charter against 353 people thought to be involved, Mr Prayong said, 127 of them have already been dismissed.

Sixty-six face disciplinary probes being conducted by the organisations they are attached to, he said, adding the PACC was still waiting for updates on the progress of implementation of Section 44 orders against 123 more people by their organisations.

The other 37 people are still awaiting decisions by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on whether or not they are implicated, he said.

The PACC said previously it had received 853 complaints of malfeasance mainly against officials at the Marketing Organisation for Farmers, the Public Warehouse Organisation and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives.

The cases are connected to the ricepledging scheme.

The CNAC also decided at its meeting yesterday to set up a new committee to conduct studies into mistakes leading to past transnational bribery cases, their impacts on Thailand and how to prevent such cases from happening again, said Mr Prayong.

Mr Prayong was appointed to head the new committee.

At yesterday’s meeting, the NACC, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Office of the Auditor-General, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and the Revenue Department were told to support independent international bodies now visiting Thailand and looking into the country’s problems with money laundering, he said.

Gen Prayut has also ordered the Interior Ministry and the CNAC to ensure transparency in implementing the government’s urgent projects, said Mr Prayong.

The prime minister said that although the ministry and CNAC must take action against any suspected irregularities in these projects to prevent further damage, they also should try to avoid causing any to be halted unnecessarily, said Mr Prayong.