NACC urged to speed up Suthep probe

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has pledged to speed up probes into irregularities in bungled police station construction projects which allegedly involved Suthep Thaugsuban, the former leader of the now-defunct People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) which led a mass street protest against the Yingluck Shinawatra administration.

“The agency is in the middle of examining the money trail in the case and the result will be presented to the NACC committee no later than September,” said NACC president Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit.

Pol Gen Watcharapol yesterday gave the update after Winyat Chatmontree, secretary-general of the United Lawyers for Rights and Liberty, submitted a petition urging the agency to expedite the probe.

Mr Winyat said the case has been with the NACC for more than five years. The case has a 20-year statute of limitations.

“The probe into this case is so slow, yet other cases have taken less than a year to conclude,” he pointed out.

Mr Winyat stated that if the NACC has still not concluded the inquiry by the end of this year, he will gather 20,000 signatures and file a petition to the National Legislative Assembly chairman to set up an independent probe into the handling of the matter.

Pol Gen Watcharapol stated that he could not say whether any punishment will be imposed on politicians or persons who approved the project, since he has to wait until the sub-committee concludes the probe.

The construction of 396 police station was a 6.67-billion-baht project endorsed by cabinet members in the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration, Mr Suthep was accused of not having consulted fellow ministers regarding changes made to the project.

In 2013, the NACC, under its previous group of commissioners, set up a sub-panel to determine if Mr Suthep had breached Section 157 of the Criminal Code by committing misconduct or dereliction of duty regarding his handling of the project.

Mr Suthep later denied all charges during his defence before the commission in 2015, insisting that he had followed the cabinet’s decision and guidelines in undertaking the scheme.