Six must pay B20bn over rice scheme
ASSET SEIZURE FOLLOWS BOGUS SALES
>> Officials will move to seize assets worth 20 billion baht from former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and five others after they failed in a court bid to evade penalties over the rice scheme losses.
The Department of Foreign Trade and the Legal Execution Department said at a press briefing yesterday they were ready to enforce an administrative order to seize assets.
An order to penalise them was signed on Sept 19 last year by Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn and then commerce permanent secretary Chutima Bunyapraphasara, who is now deputy commerce minister.
On Friday, the Central Administrative Court dismissed petitions by Mr Boonsong and four others involved in a bogus rice sale scheme for an injunction against an administrative order to pay compensation for the scheme’s losses. A sixth person was penalised but did not challenge the legality of the order.
Mr Boonsong is required to pay 1.77 billion baht in compensation and then deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol 2.3 billion baht for the damage caused by the failed government-to-government (G2G) rice sales.
The court ruled that the order had not been executed, so an injunction was not applicable.
Duangporn Rodphaya, chief of the Department of Foreign Trade, yesterday said officials were ready to proceed with the asset seizure after months of study and coordination with the Legal Execution Department.
“The case is very new to the department. We have never handled anything like this before and so it has taken time to study it to make sure the country’s interest is protected,” she said.
Ms Duangporn said the department is ready to submit asset confiscation documents to the Legal Execution Department on Tuesday to start the procedure.
“I know the situation has been delayed but we’ve been working on it. A legal team was appointed to examine the information and the laws. We’re all set to proceed with the confiscation of assets from the six individuals,” she said.
Ruenvadee Suwanmongkol, chief of the Legal Execution Department, said the delay was not caused by conflicts but by lengthy legal steps.
The department could not proceed with the confiscation of assets without the Department of Foreign Trade initiating the procedures by submitting a request. The details of the assets and certified bank accounts would need to be submitted, she said.
“There have been no mistakes in the handling of this. It’s all new to both departments,” she said.
Ms Ruenvadee said if the seized assets turned out to be insufficient to meet the compensation bill, the Department of Foreign Trade would have to figure it out what to do next. The case’s statute of limitations is 10 years, she said.
On Friday Mr Boonsong insisted that authorities should not proceed with the seizure of any assets until a ruling from the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions on the case.
The administrative order demands that six people, including Mr Boonsong and Mr Poom, pay a combined total of 20 billion baht in compensation for losses incurred by the bogus G2G rice sales.
Four people required to pay 4 billion baht each are former commerce permanent secretary Weerawut Wajanaphukka, former Department of Foreign Trade director-general Manas Soiploy, his then deputy Tikhumporn Natvaratat and ex-director of foreign rice trade Akharapong Theepwatchara.
All except Mr Weerawut, who is still at large, petitioned the court contesting the legality of the order and seeking an injunction. They named Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and three other people as defendants.
The Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr Weerawut after he failed to appear at a hearing on the case on June 29 last year.
The Supreme Court accepted the case for trial in April 2015 in which Mr Boonsong and 20 other individuals and companies were accused of fraudulent rice sales.