Latest reveal of assets by graft buster of Yingluck cabinet shows Pongthep is the richest

[Prbkk]

...small change relative to most other countries. Look at the figures for the US...scandalous that these people think they represent the average American. Same for Australia and other countries.

[Prbkk]

Chalerm has 171 billion, that's 3 billion dollars, not bad for a policeman and a politician who earns 70,000 baht a month.

And that's a typo if you read the article, it's million not billion...

[Utley]

The poorest has 14 Million in assets. Poor

" Buddy can you spare a Satang ? "

14 million baht is only $437,500 U.S. - hardly a huge sum.

[Arjay]

Wow! Sure buys a lot of "som tam"!

[lucjoker]

Take away the money they can not prove the source of .

This simple it is .

They came to their high post BECAUSE the millions they stole /bribed/.....long before .

If i want to put 10000 eu in a euro bank ,they ask me where i got the money.

When i take it out later ,they ask me why i need the money ,because i can not pay with it !

I need a bank check because nobody may accept cash anymore .

[Robby nz]

...........Chalerm Yoobamrung and spouse of 171 billion baht in assets...............

That'll soon be pished down the bog!!!

That billion must be a typo or he would be way up the top of the list.....should read million.

While he was in the police force he was to be investigated for unusual wealth but did a runner to Denmark for several years till it was forgotten.

Even with the cost of ear medication he has still managed to increase that unusual wealth.

Possibly it could do with managing to put most of it on someone elses tab, as per the billions spent by CAPO.

No police officer, lieutenant or even Chief could earn 171 million in a life time, on their basic salary.

Chalerm does not originate from a rich family - which indicates only one thing.... "CORRUPTION"

However, we all know this.

As I have been asking for months.. where is the transparency in the GENERALS' accounts? That is; before in 2 years time we hear Thailand is completely bankrupt!

Note generals', and not general's..

If I understand correctly Chelerm went from the police into politics so the uninvestigated unusual wealth acquired during his time as a police Captain would have formed the basis of what he now has.

Although the rest of your post is an off topic diversion and I shouldn't reply, in this instance I will.

There is no requirement for military officers to declare assets. However the NACC has said that the interim Govt is required to declare their assets as any Govt.

I read that some have said they are happy to comply, should any resist I would think and hope they would come in for a lot of backlash.

Do you really believe the PT policies have caused so much damage that they will lead the country to bankruptcy and that things cant be turned around now the minister of white lies and all the others are out of the picture ?

[Pimay1]

Report from the graft agency June 28, 2014 comparing assets when taking office to when leaving office.

Former labour minister Chalerm Yoobamrung has assets worth Bt171.1 million without any debt. The value of his assets declined by Bt130,000.

The Nation June 28, 2014 1:00 am

[HerbalEd]

While we are all well aware that often those in government and parliaments around the world come from influential moneyed backgrounds and in the majority of cases it's ''old money.''

Here it is all new money accrued how and by what means? Commission payments etc?

The amounts are positively obscene and clearly show that those who were in office were and are nothing more than born again opportunist.

opportunist

On an average day to day basis, an opportunist is a person who takes immediate advantage of an opportunity to achieve a goal and doesn't even think about the morals, ethics, principles or consequences of that action. They tend to put expediency over morality.

How do you know "it is all new money"?

[ratcatcher]

Chalerm has 171 billion, that's 3 billion dollars, not bad for a policeman and a politician who earns 70,000 baht a month.

Chalerm has closer to 171 MILLION baht not billion. That was a typo. That would make the value of his ass ets closer to $5,357,000.00 or $5.35 million at today's rates. I think?

[Jeremy50]

Captain Chalerm and his unfeasibly large bank account.

[rubl]

It is nice to know that but the important figures are not published.

Those figures are the difference between their current wealth and what they declared when they came to power and whether in the time that they were serving did they become "unusually" rich.

Are you seriously saying that the NACC would pass up any chance they had of penalising any PTP MP if they were discovered to be "unusually rich"? Ergo, no evidence has been found that they are unusually rich, otherwise the NACC would have been all over them like a cheap suit.

Meanwhile not a word about applying their same "stringent" standards to the junta.

Well, the standards seem to be applied to the government-like NLA.

Of course the junta would be so much more 'democratic' and acceptable to Thai and TVF posters as they would also submit 'asset declarations'.

[faranghh]

But this is only the traceable Money, how much more has been left in the private accounts of friends, family and workers? to be accessible on a rainy day or run through a money laundering scheme

[NongKhaiKid]

Gsxrnz, on 26 Aug 2014 - 13:33, said:

Poor old Santi Prompat at the bottom of the list with only 14 million baht bust be a slow learner.

Always sounds a lot in baht, but converted to US dollars only a miserly $438,000

This is Thailand and has a Thai perspective. Conversion to other currencies is irrelevant.

[BSJ]

Prefacing my comment with the disclaimer that I am not pointing a finger at anyone, but it does beg the question how public officials can accrue so much wealth after spending so much time in office on salaries that are not overgenerous.

Tis sickening to think that corruption has bought so much wealth to some at the expense of the general population.

[gemini81]

Chalerm has 171 billion, that's 3 billion dollars, not bad for a policeman and a politician who earns 70,000 baht a month.

Chalerm has closer to 171 MILLION baht not billion. That was a typo. That would make the value of his ass ets closer to $5,357,000.00 or $5.35 million at today's rates. I think?

How much is allocated for booze consumption? Or does he have a lot of shares in Cognac brands?

[BestBitterPhuket]

Tip of the ice berg. The real numbers are much higher. Bank accounts in Singapore and Switzerland, property in London etc. Multiplying by ten will get us closer to the actual figures.

Edited August 28, 2014 by BestBitterPhuket

[The Deerhunter]

...........Chalerm Yoobamrung and spouse of 171 billion baht in assets...............

That'll soon be pished down the bog!!!

That is obviously meant to be milions. But he has a Bentley & a Ferrari does'n he? That is still about 5.5 million US dollars though. Not bad in thailand with house prices like they are.

But all this is meaningless if they do not tell us how they claim it was earned (ie declared taxable earnings over say the last 20 years or how much it went up since they went into government

[spidermike007]

They should check the wealth of those people before being in power and after ..... or do they already do it ? doing politics in Thailand is a very profitable job ..

There are very few countries in the world, where politics is not a very profitable job. Senators and congressmen make millions from insider trading, and go from a net worth of a few hundred thousand, to tens of millions of dollars within two terms in office, sometimes. Institutionalize corruption. What is the difference? I think in most countries of the world, politics at the national level is pure corruption, and if these guys were honest when they were elected, few are honest within a few years. Just look at Obama.