NACC seeks Juthamas’ foreign assets

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) plans to contact other countries, especially the United States, and recover assets frozen in the bribery case involving former Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Juthamas Siriwan.

NACC chairman Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said the agency is also tracking the money trail in other corruption cases, mostly bribery in international dealings, and added that it would take some time.

He was speaking at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ACT Network of AntiCorruption Authorities and Law Enforcement Agencies Training Workshop on Asset Recovery held in Bangkok yesterday.

The delegates from the Apec countries shared their experiences and resolved to strengthen cooperation in tracing, freezing and confiscating assets of offenders besides recovering and returning them to the country of origin.

The event was co-organised by China’s National Commission of Supervision and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Former Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Juthamas Siriwan and her daughter, Jittisopha, were handed prison sentences of 66 years and 44 years respectively last March for accepting kickbacks from an American couple.

The lawsuit filed by the Office of Auditor-General charged Ms Juthamas, now 71, with demanding a bribe from Gerald Green and his wife Patricia for awarding a 60-million-baht contract to organise the annual Bangkok International Film Festival between 2002 and 2007.

Ms Jittisopha helped her mother in committing the offence by opening accounts with various foreign banks, and the American couple transferred US$1.8 million (56.1 million baht) into those accounts, the court found.

The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases also ruled to confiscate the equivalent of 62.7 million baht in cash from the overseas bank account of Ms Jittisopha, who was 43 (44 this year).