Anti-graft chief ‘has no issue’ with authority of OAG to initially probe NACC officials under new law

[webfact]

Anti-graft chief ‘has no issue’ with authority of OAG to initially probe NACC officials under new law

By The Nation

 

National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) president Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnratchakij said on Monday that he had no problem with the new power of the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) to initially investigate NACC officials, as the body had the authority to audit the budget spending of all state agencies.

 

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Friday passed the organic law governing the OAG, endorsing its authority to probe anti-corruption officials, although some revision was made to clauses in the previous draft.

 

A proposal to grant authority to the auditor-general to conduct an initial investigation into officials of the NACC was the major point of concern during the draft organic law’s deliberation by the NLA. 

 

Legislators eventually agreed to revise the clauses to limit the auditor-general’s role to “notifying” the NACC if any irregularities involving anti-corruption officials were discovered during the OAG’s audit work.

 

The revised clauses would still allow the OAG to conduct an initial investigation, but it must be in line with the NACC’s rules and not affect the work of officials at the anti-graft agency. 

 

If the agency’s work were affected, officials could petition to halt the probe and pass it on to the NACC.

 

Watcharapol said NACC officials had earlier opposed the proposal, as they deemed the unrevised version as potentially detrimental to them carrying out their work. 

 

However, as the contentious clauses have been revised, the issue is now considered as being closed, he added.

 

In regard to the NACC draft bill, which will be deliberated by the NLA on November 2, the NACC wishes to see changes to the body’s work timeframe set by the new bill, as officials are concerned about the issue, as well as the proposed penalties for missing deadlines, its president stressed.

 

Watcharapol also said that in regard to two suspended cases against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the NACC was now in the process of submitting a request to the Supreme Court to resume the cases.

 

The cases in question were temporarily disposed of by the court under the old law governing procedures against political office holders, but can be resumed under the new version of the law.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30329949

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-10-24

 

[Samui Bodoh]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Legislators eventually agreed to revise the clauses to limit the auditor-general’s role to “notifying” the NACC if any irregularities involving anti-corruption officials were discovered during the OAG’s audit work.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Watcharapol said NACC officials had earlier opposed the proposal, as they deemed the unrevised version as potentially detrimental to them carrying out their work. 

 

Thailand has created a terrible monster in the NACC, one that will haunt the country for years to come.

 

Take three cases as examples; the PAD, the police stations under Abhisit, and the rice-pledging scheme. The first two cases occurred long before the rice-pledging scheme even began and did damage to the country, yet neither has gone to trial. And Yingluck has already been 'convicted'.

 

Does anyone wonder why so many people in Thailand have little/no faith in the justice system? Can anyone explain the discrepancies in the three cases above? Can anyone say that politics were not the prime consideration?

 

Anti-corruption agencies need to be four things; credible, transparent, effective, and politically neutral. The NACC fails on all four counts.

 

And now there is a new law which makes the NACC even more powerful and less accountable.

 

The NACC will be protecting the generals' friends and punishing the generals' foes for years, regardless whether the election happens or not.

 

If Thailand ever wants to be a "first-world country" (and it dearly does), there must be rule of law for everyone. Selective investigations and enforcement are glowing neon signs of Third-Worldism.

 

Sad days for such nice people...