‘Not suited’ and booted
Pol Maj Gen Romsit Weeriyasan was shown the door this week with a Section 44 order removing him as Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) secretary-general after barely two months in the job.
His abrupt departure from the post set many tongues wagging, especially when no official explanation was attached to the order announcing his exit on Tuesday stating why he was transferred to become inspector-general attached to the Office of the Prime Minister.
A source at Amlo said it is common knowledge that an inspector-general in the civil service is a “boss of no one” as those occupying the post have no authority to manage the workforce or any direct subordinates.
When Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), decided to issue order No.12/2561, many wondered if Pol Maj Gen Romsit’s failure to perform as expected had led to his ejection from the Amlo top post.
Section 44 of the interim charter was invoked to execute the dismissal order, which was published in the Royal Gazette with immediate effect, after which Pol Maj Gen Romsit packed his bags and moved to the inspector’s office.
The source noted that since he was appointed Amlo deputy chief and then its chief, he had failed to impress his superiors with any outstanding achievements in terms of leading a major bust in a high-profile case.
Most of the cases handled by Amlo during his short stint involved seizing assets acquired by criminals, which were deemed to be of little value.
The offenders were also “small fish” rather than commanding masterminds or stringpullers in criminal networks, according to the source.
That may have been why policymakers were not confident Pol Maj Gen Romsit was the right man for the job or wholeheartedly willing to apply his leadership as the Amlo secretary-general in proceeding with the prosecution of major offenders.
His reputation, according to the source, may have suffered as a result.
The source said it is tough directing the agency when it is licensed to probe and, where warranted by the law, confiscate the finances of people including politicians.
There have been frequent allegations of people in power being prone to abusing their power by ordering Amlo to investigate opponents in a bid to intimidate them.
Political insiders say an Amlo chief would need to be unusually perceptive in terms of assessing “which way the wind was blowing” to thrive in the role.
Now that Pol Gen Romsit is out of the picture, political watchers have turned their attention to his replacement.
Some are betting on Amlo deputy secretary-general Preecha Charoensahayanont. Pol Maj Gen Preecha previously served as deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
Others have speculated the vacancy could be filled by deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, although his race to the finishing line, should he enter the fray, could be a difficult one.
The source said Pol Gen Srivara has yet to win over Gen Prayut and convince the premier he can deliver as expected if and when he takes over the helm at Amlo.
The source said this is one of the most politically strategic posts in the bureaucracy, and one the government would want to see filled by someone they could fully trust.
Decisions in asset seizure cases are virtually a life and death matter for politicians embroiled in legal battles.
Freezing assets can “immobilise” those who own them and for most politicians, that can deal a devastating blow to their ability to wield political influence.