Graft fighter outlines ‘watchgate’ scenarios

[snoop1130]

Graft fighter outlines ‘watchgate’ scenarios

By The Nation

 

Rosana Tositrakul

 

Rosana Tositrakul, the former senator turned corruption-fighter, took to Facebook on Monday to urge a full inquiry by the authorities into Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan’s income and tax payments in regard to the “watchgate” scandal spurred by photos of him wearing expensive watches.

 

Rosana said netizens, including those on the anti-corruption CSI LA Facebook page, had documented Prawit wearing 22 luxury watches with an estimated value of Bt34.7 million, based on market prices.

 

She said Prawit could claim that about 20 watches worn by him have not yet been reported to the National Anti Corruption Commission (NACC), because they only appear in recent photos.

 

But at least two watches – the 16th and 20th as reported by the CSI LA – should have already been reported to the agency as they were apparently his assets before he took office during the Abhisit government in 2010.

 

Rosana said that possession of these two watches could be enough to prove that Prawit failed to report assets worth more than Bt200,000 to the NACC, as required by law.

 

Rosana said Prawit’s income during the past three years should not have exceeded Bt10 million, but the watches he had allegedly acquired were worth more that Bt30 million. This raised an interesting question as to how the NACC’s probe into the case should proceed.

 

Rosana urged concerned officials to look into taxation regulations to help in the case.

 

If Prawit obtained the watches as inheritances, he must have some proof, such as the wills of the deceased. But if he was given the watches by family members, he must identify the persons or show other proof, then apply for a tax waiver of no more than Bt20 million and pay tax on the rest.

 

If Prawit was given the watches by people other than family members, he must again have proof or be able to identify those persons, and ask for a tax waiver of no more than Bt10 milion and pay tax on the rest.

 

However, if he showed such proof or identified persons for this purpose, Prawit might risk violating the NACC’s regulation to not take gifts worth more than Bt3,000, Rosana said.

 

In addition, the persons who gave the watches to Prawit would have to prove where they earned the money to buy them, and declare whether they had paid tax on their income.

 

Rosana said if Prawit claimed that he borrowed the watches from friends, he must identify those friends so the Customs Department could trace whether they had paid customs duties for the import of those watches. If they had not paid customs duties, then Prawit might risk violating the Customs law for taking tax-unpaid items. The gift-givers’ income would also have to be checked, and it would have to be determined whether they had paid tax.

 

The extreme case, Rosana said, was if Prawit said he had bought the watches himself – because his income is apparently far lower than the price of the watches. If that were the case, he would face an allegation of having unusual wealth, Rosana said.

 

Rosana said the handling of Prawit’s case would show whether the junta government really took corruption seriously, and whether the new charter – which is claimed to be a corruption-suppression tool – would be as effective as it is supposed to be, or just another tool to suppress the government’s opponents.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30336292

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-1-15

[mark131v]

Love it!!

 

A person stating facts and regulations that anywhere other than LoS or the other third world banana republics out there would be proof positive of major wrongdoing, wonder how quickly the junta will bury this story whilst managing to do the sum total of <deleted> all about it.....?

[Samui Bodoh]

I love this story!

 

Sometimes it is hard to explain corruption on a large scale, but this story is clear, simple and easy to get.

 

Many thanks to the Evil Hobbit!

[robblok]

I love this story too.. i hope that it they bring him down. Corruption should never be tolerated. 

 

Plus if your going to act like you clean up corruption.. good... but clean up your own corruption too. 

 

This shows the hypocritical side of the junta, if they had any sense they would throw him for bus to at least look like going after other corruption.

 

But I think in this case the ties are too strong and they will defend him forever.

[mark131v]

7 minutes ago, robblok said:

I love this story too.. i hope that it they bring him down. Corruption should never be tolerated. 

 

Plus if your going to act like you clean up corruption.. good... but clean up your own corruption too. 

 

This shows the hypocritical side of the junta, if they had any sense they would throw him for bus to at least look like going after other corruption.

 

But I think in this case the ties are too strong and they will defend him forever.

Thats the big problem with nepotism and corruption which unfortunately a good pecentage of the locals as well as the junta huggers seem to overlook in this present lot.....

[rkidlad]

6 minutes ago, robblok said:

I love this story too.. i hope that it they bring him down. Corruption should never be tolerated. 

 

Plus if your going to act like you clean up corruption.. good... but clean up your own corruption too. 

 

This shows the hypocritical side of the junta, if they had any sense they would throw him for bus to at least look like going after other corruption.

 

But I think in this case the ties are too strong and they will defend him forever.

I think the problem is that they’re all corrupt and they all have dirt on each other. It’s just one big cesspit. 

 

Sad thing is they don’t see corruption for what it is. They think it’s their right to take money on the side, but they think others shouldn’t and are bad for doing so. You have to be at a certain level in society where it’s not corruption, it’s your right to take the money.

 

If Thailand has taught me anything, it’s that bad people aren’t the worst people out there. It’s bad people who believe they’re good who are the worst people. 

[Oziex1]

Another story to cause misunderstanding and confusion amongst the people.

No doubt this will be the Junta's take on it. 

[bangrak]

18 minutes ago, mark131v said:

Thats the big problem with nepotism and corruption which unfortunately a good pecentage of the locals as well as the junta huggers seem to overlook in this present lot.....

'Junta huggers', 'yellow bellies', ...or 'Shins' fans': I'd say all Thais should be, and act, against corruption and nepotism, but we know the majority does not have a problem with any of this, a long as they get an advantage from it for themselves...

Why would you feel a need to point a finger at one category, hmm...? Some bias of yours, is it?

[coulson]

40 minutes ago, robblok said:

I love this story too.. i hope that it they bring him down. Corruption should never be tolerated. 

 

Plus if your going to act like you clean up corruption.. good... but clean up your own corruption too. 

 

This shows the hypocritical side of the junta, if they had any sense they would throw him for bus to at least look like going after other corruption.

 

But I think in this case the ties are too strong and they will defend him forever.

He's too big to throw under the bus, carries a lot of weight, excuse the pun. 

[KIWIBATCH]

A brave lady and good on her....but she will get shutdown.....in some manner or form.,..watch this space...!!!

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

This must have made the little obese general's day.

[mark131v]

1 hour ago, bangrak said:

'Junta huggers', 'yellow bellies', ...or 'Shins' fans': I'd say all Thais should be, and act, against corruption and nepotism, but we know the majority does not have a problem with any of this, a long as they get an advantage from it for themselves...

Why would you feel a need to point a finger at one category, hmm...? Some bias of yours, is it?

Yes, I guess it is!

 

I find westerners who have been blessed to have a privileged upbringing and all the benefits of a democratic society to be massive hypocrites and especially the ones who put their right to a quiet life above the locals right to democracy....

[baboon]

3 hours ago, Oziex1 said:

Another story to cause misunderstanding and confusion amongst the people.

No doubt this will be the Junta's take on it. 

Indeed. But what to do: start throwing more people still in prison for 'sedition' at a time they are attempting to give the misleading impression that deep down they are a civilian government of avuncular types?

The public may well take the hint to shut up about it and pretend none of this happened, but these tawdry episodes cannot fail to come back and haunt the junta one day.

[webfact]

Graft-buster demands action over Prawit’s ‘watchgate’ as NACC backs off

By The Nation

 

A GRAFT-BUSTER and former senator took to Facebook yesterday urging concerned authorities to look into Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan’s income and tax payments in regard to the “watchgate” scandal spurred by photos of him wearing expensive watches.

 

Meanwhile, National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) president Pol General Watcharapol Prasarnrajkit said his agency could not suspend the deputy prime minister from office, as it was not its duty to do so.

 

Anti-corruption campaigner Rosana Tositrakul said netizens, including those on the CSI LA watchdog’s Facebook page, had documented Prawit wearing 22 luxury watches with an estimated value of Bt34.7 million. 

 

However, Prawit’s income during the past three years should not have exceeded Bt10 million. The discrepancy raised an interesting question as to how the NACC’s probe into the case should proceed, Rosana said. 

 

If Prawit said he had bought the watches himself, he would face an allegation of having unusual wealth, she said, adding that if he inherited the watches, he must have some proof such as the wills of the deceased. 

 

In posting other scenarios, she said if he had been given the watches by family members, he must identify the persons or show other proof, then apply for a tax waiver of no more than Bt20 million and pay tax on the rest. If he had been given the watches by other people, he must again have proof and ask for a tax waiver of no more than Bt10 million and pay tax on the rest.

 

However, if he showed proof for that purpose, Prawit might risk violating the NACC’s regulation that public officials cannot accept gifts worth more than Bt3,000.

 

Rosana said if Prawit claimed that he borrowed the watches from friends, he must identify those friends so the Customs Department could trace whether they had paid import duties. If not, then Prawit might risk violating the Customs law. It would also have to be determined whether the gift-giver had paid tax. 

 

Rosana said Prawit could claim that about 20 of the watches had simply not yet been reported to the NACC after he took office in the junta government after the coup.

 

But at least two watches – the 16th and 20th as reported by the CSI LA – should have already been reported to the agency as they were apparently among his assets before he took office during the Abhisit government in2010.

 

That could be enough to prove that Prawit had failed to report assets worth more than Bt200,000 to the NACC as required by law.

 

Rosana said the handling of Prawit’s case would show whether the junta took corruption seriously, or whether the new charter was just a tool to suppress its opponents.

 

Meanwhile, Watcharapol said it was not the NACC’s role to consider suspending Prawit from duty. He said the inquiry was at an initial stage and the NACC has been doing its.

 

He said Prawit had not reported anything in addition to his initial letter of explanation to the NACC.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30336300

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-16

[Get Real]

At least he knows what time it is.

[klauskunkel]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

He said Prawit had not reported anything in addition to his initial letter of explanation to the NACC.

Yes he did. He said: "Mai roo! (don't know)" twice, quite forcefully.

 

He is such a delight. I think he is starting to replace Chalerm in newsworthiness,... nah, won't happen.

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

it was not the NACC’s role to consider suspending Prawit from duty.

It's my understanding that the NACC's role is to investigate alleged charges and if there's probable cause, prosecute in court. It is then the court's authority to remove an official from office is the defendant is found guilty and sentence the individual as appropriate.

 

So from that perspective Watcharapol is correct. But NACC's role as an investigator and prosecutor is being avoided as in malfeasance negligence - in itself a crime! Who is there to judge the NACC?

 

In the immediate past (ie., since the 2014 coup) NACC cases involving allegations of "unusually wealthy" officials, NACC typically and immediately confiscates a suspect's major assets without any due process of law. It then becomes the defendant's responsibility to prove innocence.

 

Yet in Prawit's case the NACC appears reluctant to do so - to confiscate as a minimum all the watches/rings in question. This inaction not only creates another possible incidence of NACC malfeasance negligence but gives the appearance of capricious and arbitrary abuse of power by conflict of interest. 

 

Perhaps in a twist if irony, Prawit has revealed NACC's vulnerability in executing its constitutional role when it does not have a clear and independent position from government leadership - in particular, from unelected government leadership!

 

This should send a warning to the Thai electorate of the potential for similar NACC abuses that might occur as a result of the 2018 (or whatever year) that ultimately concludes with unelected government leadership.

 

 

[rebo]

She shows clearly: All the laws are existing in Thailand (In case not "this", then "that" a.s.o.). They only have to be applied.
Thanks, Khun Watcharapon!

[Baerboxer]

6 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

Yes he did. He said: "Mai roo! (don't know)" twice, quite forcefully.

 

He is such a delight. I think he is starting to replace Chalerm in newsworthiness,... nah, won't happen.

 

They'd make a terrific double act! Imagine them doing their take on the Abbott and Costello "whose on first base" routine.

 

"Where'd you get those watchers?

"I dunno, where'd you get those very expensive cars?

"I dunno, where'd you get those very expensive watchers?

 

[maxcorrigan]

21 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

I love this story!

 

Sometimes it is hard to explain corruption on a large scale, but this story is clear, simple and easy to get.

 

Many thanks to the Evil Hobbit!

Too true, when it's stashed away in a bank easy to forget, but this is visible, right there in your face, and seemingly growing 22 watches so far, it's like rubbing yer nose in it kind of thing!

Edited January 16, 2018 by maxcorrigan
more info

[Chris Lawrence]

This guy is knee deep in waste.

 

Well we might see some political happen from here. Something these guys were not ready for. Kiss article 44 good night.

[bangrak]

21 hours ago, mark131v said:

Yes, I guess it is!

 

I find westerners who have been blessed to have a privileged upbringing and all the benefits of a democratic society to be massive hypocrites and especially the ones who put their right to a quiet life above the locals right to democracy....

The rights citizens become from democracy, they can only enjoy atfter they made all the hard efforts to build a democracy, and took responsibility for the many strict duties to achieve in order to maintain a democracy.

That's just IMHO, but I'm tired of seeing so many persons presenting democracy as a milk-and-honey system, which would be distributed for free, ...maybe with the daily ration of mana from the sky on top? Sorry, that's not the way it works!

[mark131v]

44 minutes ago, bangrak said:

The rights citizens become from democracy, they can only enjoy atfter they made all the hard efforts to build a democracy, and took responsibility for the many strict duties to achieve in order to maintain a democracy.

That's just IMHO, but I'm tired of seeing so many persons presenting democracy as a milk-and-honey system, which would be distributed for free, ...maybe with the daily ration of mana from the sky on top? Sorry, that's not the way it works!

Nope, no idea what you are trying to say....