Allegations of kickbacks and bloc voting by pro-government senators have been swirling in the lead-up to today's Upper House session to nominate nine anti-graft commissioners and appoint a panel to check the background of nominees for the new Elec-tion Commission.

Caretaker Senator Somboon Thongburan claimed that members of the selection panel for the National Counter Corrup-tion Commission had received a list of seven candidates that a large political party wanted nominated.

A source from the Senate said 10 outgoing Senators gathered at the Radisson Hotel on Friday night - they were the same Senators who sought the Constitution Court ruling in the Auditor-General Jaruwan Maintaka case.

Somboon and outgoing Senator Karun Sai-ngam happened to go to the same hotel for dinner. When the group, who were in the Chinese restaurant at the hotel, saw the

two walked in uninvited, they

dispersed in different directions.

The bloc vote for the NCCC commissioners is reportedly being carried out differently from voting for other independent bodies. In the past politicians would pay kickbacks immediately after candidates they wanted nominated won.

However, this time the close of the special Senate session is not specified, so the kickbacks will allegedly be paid after the Senate vote to nominate the five new members of the Election Commission.

Outgoing Senator Chirmsak Pinthong, who chairs the panel to check the background of NCCC candidates, said five of the 18 candidates may be disqualified because they don't appear to have a position of director-general or equivalent, especially Pol Lt Gen Wanchai Srinualnad, the former assistant national police commissioner.

He said he would ask the Senate today to vote to seek a Constitution Court ruling on whether the five candidates are qualificated to run for the NCCC.

If the Senate voted not to seek the court ruling, he would find a way to seek the court ruling by himself.

"I heard that there is a formula of seven to two. That is, politicians have already picked the seven they want nominated.

"They will find a way to bloc candidates who have been critical of the government, such as candidates who are judges and the former Thailand ambassador to the United Nations Asda Jayanama,'' Chirmsak said.

Outgoing Senator Maleerat Kaewka said she had heard that PTT executives had offered company shares to some senators and that there would be bloc voting on NCCC nominees.

A source alleged that an outgoing senator who has a sizeable amount of PTT shares is Maj Gen Sakhon Kijviriya, a close friend of former senate speaker Manoonkrit Roopkachorn.

The favourites to win NCCC nomination include former Supreme Court judge Sawai Chantarasri; Siwa Saengmani, former director-general of the Provincial Administration Department; Wanchai Srinualnad; Gen Kasemchart Naretseni; former Supreme Court chief judge Kulapat Itthithamwinit; Panthep Klanarong; Nakhon Pathom governor Prasart Pongsiwapai; Areerat Wattanasin, deputy secretary general of Basic Education Commission; former deputy auditor-general Sajja Satanawin; and Food and Drug Administration secretary-general Pakdi Phothisiri.

Somboon said he would ask the senators who met at the Radisson to prove their innocence by revealing today why they met there.

Somboon challenged them earlier to swear before the Emerald Buddha if they have no knowledge about kickbacks and nominations for "independent" state agencies.

Outgoing Senator Sawai Prammani came out in defence, saying provincial senators did not have houses in Bangkok, so it was common for them to get together at a hotel. He denied they met to discuss bloc voting for NCCC nominees.