Ex-environment minister and colleagues ask for a retrial of the Klong Dan case



BANGKOK: -- The Central Administrative Court was on Tuesday asked for a retrial of the Klong Dan case in which the Pollution Control Department was ordered by the Supreme Administrative Court to pay the NVPSKG consortium about 10 billion baht for the corruption-plagued project.

The petition was submitted by former natural resources and environment minister Praphat Panyachartrak, Mr Apichai Chavacharoenpant, former director-general of Pollution Control Department and five former officials responsible for the contract between the department and the consortium.

The seven plaintiffs told the Central Administrative Court that they lost the case to the NVPSKG because the arbitrary committee, the Central Administrative and the Supreme Administrative Court did not take into consideration the verdict of the Dusit district court which ruled the consortium guilty of withholding the fact that one key company, Northwest Water International, had pulled out of the consortium.

The Dusit district court also ruled the consortium guilty of fraud in connection with the acquisition of 1,900 rai of land for the waste water treatment facility in Bangbo district of Samut Prakan.

So far, the Pollution Control Department has already paid the consortium 4 billion baht as ordered by the Supreme Administrative Court. However, the department still owes the consortium about 6 billion baht which is to be paid in two instalments on May 21 and November 21 respectively.

Mr Praphat told the court that he and his six colleagues might be affected by the Supreme Administrative Court’s ruling and would like the case to be retried.

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/155242

-- Thai PBS 2016-03-16

regards Worgeordie

Edited March 16, 201610 yr by worgeordie

This whole case sounds a real mess made worse by so many half-facts being released by both sides. Needs a truely independent investigation, which of course will never ever happen, not just here in Thailand but in most countries around the world, as long as the tax payers can foot the bill.

Is this the same blameless people?

According to a news source, three companies, all owned by the same investors; first company bought land from landowners at 20,000 Baht per rai and those that didn't want to sell had access to their land blocked by those plots that were sold. If they still didn't sell, duplicate land titles were created to cheat them out of their land. After this was done, the 1,900 rai block was sold to another company, owned by the same investors, for 100,000 Baht per rai and then, sold to the third company, owned by the same group of investors, for 260,000 Baht per Rai. The Pollution Control Department of Thailand then bought the parcel of land for one million Baht per rai. The location was the moved and the effluent would flow directly into the sea.