Prawit told to further clarify on watches; NACC to interview all parties it considers relevant

By KAS CHANWANPEN 
THE NATION 

 

 

THE NATIONAL Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will summon four unnamed individuals for questioning next week in connection with the watch scandal involving Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan.

 

NACC secretary-general Worawit Sukboon said yesterday the NACC might as well conduct inquiries with all four people and would complete that part of the probe by March. If it finds links to other people, they would also be called in.

 

Prawit has also been told by the agency that he has 15 days to provide further clarification over his alleged possession of luxurious wristwatches and a large diamond ring, the secretary-general said. The NACC sent the Deputy PM a notification on Thursday, he added.

Because the scandal was in the public interest and tips were flooding in, Worawit said it should be concluded within weeks.

 

NACC president Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnratchakit yesterday said separately that the call for Prawit to submit a further explanation was normal procedure and did not necessarily mean the initial clarification had been inadequate. 

 

Asked if Prawit had to clarify his possession of all the watches seen in the photographs on the Internet or just the Richard Mille, Watcharapol said he had to detail his reasons for possessing all of them. The secretary-general had the authority to ask for any information he needed in the case. 

The development came after Prawit submitted a letter late last month to clarify his possession of several luxurious timepieces and a diamond ring. This came after photographs went viral of the Deputy PM wearing a striking diamond ring and a Richard Mille watch at a group photo of the new Cabinet.

 

The timepiece alone could cost millions of baht. Members of the public have questioned how a military officer who makes less than Bt1 million a year could have afforded to buy such a fancy watch and whether or not he had declared the assets when he took up the ministerial post, as is required under law.

 

News has been circulating that a source close to Prawit said the Richard Mille that kicked off the public criticism belonged to well-to-do horophile who was a long-time friend of Prawit. The source said the duo had often shared wristwatches and the Richard Mille in question had been lent by him to the Deputy PM.

 

The NACC secretary-general Worawit Sukboon 

 

The secretary-general refused to say whether Prawit had provided a similar account in the explanation letter. 

 

However, when asked what he would advise politicians who borrowed stuff from friends, Worawit responded: “It depends on the relationship. But we all have friends and we trust them, right?”

 

A dozen more photographs of Prawit wearing pricey wristwatches on different occasions have emerged over the past weeks. Thus far, netizens had found that the general had worn at least 15 luxurious timepieces, with a combined worth exceeding Bt17 million.

 

The official, however, declined to disclose the number of wristwatches Prawit had identified in his clarification letter, saying only it was “as many as seen in the news”. 

 

Worawit also announced yesterday that Prawit had been cleared of the allegation of inappropriate use of taxpayers’ money in connection with the scandal-plagued trip to Hawaii last year.

 

Both the NACC and the Office of Auditor-General had found no irregularities after scrutinising the trip, in which Prawit and some 30 officials took an allegedly extravagant, chartered flight that served caviar as the in-flight meal. The NACC had decided to reject the complaint, the secretary-general said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30335529

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-06

11 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

News has been circulating that a source close to Prawit said the Richard Mille that kicked off the public criticism belonged to well-to-do horophile

Pesky horophiles. 

The one thing the extreme right does well is stand together.

23 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

NACC to interview all parties it considers relevant

Will that include a certain close friend of Prawit who reportedly has since shed his mortal coil? I doubt he'll talk much.

 

25 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

and tips were flooding in, Worawit said it should be concluded within weeks.

Interesting. So, to what amount have tips been "flooding in" at the NACC and did they by any chance arrive in brown envelopes to "speed up" a favorable outcome of the investigation?

 

26 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The source said the duo had often shared wristwatches and the Richard Mille in question had been lent by him to the Deputy PM.

Shared, eh? If I read that correctly the "horophile" in question allegedly bought the watches and Prawit wore them. That's quite a strange concept of sharing.

 

30 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Worawit also announced yesterday that Prawit had been cleared of the allegation of inappropriate use of taxpayers’ money in connection with the scandal-plagued trip to Hawaii last year.

Was that conclusion also the result of "tips flooding in" at the NACC?  

56 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The official, however, declined to disclose the number of wristwatches Prawit had identified in his clarification letter, saying only it was “as many as seen in the news”

That's convenient, save him writing more letters when the media finds more.

SMH guilty as a cat in a bird cage. They can't catch him how the <deleted> will they catch Ying Luck who is 1/2 a world away??

This "serious investigation" will soon pass.....

A geezer gave him the watches, then died......

As said many times, not "Dick Mille" times... likely explanation is, the watches are "authenticate copies" bought @ sellers on Ratchadaphisek Road , just to stir up the "media pack" with "f-f-fake watches" for "f-f-fake news"!!! 

10 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The timepiece alone could cost millions of baht.

10 million I've been told. Of course he did borrow it from a friend. "Excuse me, my friend could I borrow your Bt10,000,000 watch?" "Certainly". What a <deleted> corrupt joke. All Thais know the truth of corruption in this country.

The receipts/owner documents are all we need to see and that's the end of it 

OK I'll ask, what is a horophiles? 

18 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

This "serious investigation" will soon pass.....

A geezer gave him the watches, then died......

don't be so sure, they have called in a spiritualist,the dead don't lie.

Pity they are not expending the same effort scrutinizing purchase contracts--like the recent ones for radar detectors and CCTV cameras.

3 hours ago, newtjj said:

OK I'll ask, what is a horophiles? 

With my perfect latin I surmise it's some one who likes row of hos.

4 hours ago, newtjj said:

OK I'll ask, what is a horophiles? 

likes watches

Why is he covering his groin? is there something on his zip we shouldn't see like a diamond clasp ?

On 06/01/2018 at 11:52 AM, rooster59 said:

Members of the public have questioned how a military officer who makes less than Bt1 million a year

And boosted his personal wealth by 30 million in the last six years.  Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Just now, mikebell said:

And boosted his personal wealth by 30 million in the last six years.  Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Only if you are a new comer. I wonder that it took him so long, pretty meager takings for someone in government,perhaps he is honest (by Thai standards) after all