EC spending probed
Officials from the Auditor-General’s Office take documents and boxes from the Election Commission’s offices yesterday.
|
|
The Auditor-General's Office (AGO) yesterday began an unprecedented probe into allegations against the Election Commission (EC) that it misused its Bt2 billion budget for the April 2 election.
Three teams from the AGO took documents and a number of boxes from the EC's office. On Wednesday the Student Federation of Thailand filed a complaint with the AGO. Auditor-General Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka immediately sent an urgent letter to EC Secretary-General Ekachai Warunprapa asking him to clarify spending of the EC's election budget by May 25. "They wanted to know how we spent the budget. The probe included our secret budget, PR budget and allowances for staff. I will hold a meeting on May 22," Ekachai said. Chaiyan Chaiyaporn, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, called for the AGO to probe deeper into the EC's budget spending - especially travel expenses and election campaign costs. He wondered why the EC approved Bt2.5 million in one week to hire GMM Grammy Plc to produce an election campaign song. "When I asked rock singer Asanee Chotikul to compose it for Bt250,000, the EC didn't approve it. This case should prove whether the EC is inefficient or non-transparent," he said. Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has been called upon to seek compensation from the EC for organising the now-annulled April 2 election that cost the state Bt2 billion. Phothiphong Banluewong, director of the Committee of Study and Investigation on the Violation of Law and Human Rights in Thailand (CSIVL), sent a letter to the Finance Ministry yesterday demanding it take action or stand accused of dereliction of duty. His demands follow separate rulings by the Constitution and Administrative courts invalidating the election. Phothiphong cited that the EC and its office must be held responsible for breaking the Conviction of Offence for State Officials Act 1996 by compensating the state for causing huge losses (Bt2 billion) in organising the election in April. The Finance Ministry has so far neglected to take action and the EC has failed to take responsibility following the court rulings. Therefore, he and other complainants have demanded the ministry takes action or he will file a complaint with the Administrative Court. Phothipong has reportedly lodged a complaint with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights requesting an investigation into a "violation of democracy" with regard to the April 2 election. Responding to Phothipong's complaint, Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said he believed the UN would not interfere in the matter as Thailand has a Constitution Court and an Administrative Court, which are independent bodies that will take charge of the case. "The UN will not interfere if the country has internal agencies to provide justice or carry out trials, except in the case of a severe violation of democracy," he said. Atthayut Butrsripoom The Nation
|
