The Assets Examina-tion Committee (AEC) will investigate the tax scandal involving two of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra's children, who may be forced to pay personal income tax worth Bt5.8 billion on Shin Corp shares they bought from Ample Rich and later sold at a much higher price.

The AEC will investigate whether the Revenue Department director-general and five other officials committed dereliction of duty by refusing to tax Panthongtae and Pinthongta Shinawatra on the sale. If the officials are found guilty, the AEC will file a complaint with the Finance Ministry seeking to tax the siblings.

The Office of the Auditor-General will also wrap up its investigation into whether the pair should be slapped with a Bt5.8-billion tax bill this week.

The AEC yesterday selected former Supreme Court judge Nam Yimyaem as its chairman and vowed to conclude eight corruption cases within the next three months.

Nam will replace Sawat Chotepanich, who resigned after reported conflicts with some committee members, especially Khunying Jaravan Maintaka.

The committee also selected Kaewsan Atibodhi, a former senator, as its secretary and Sak Korsaengruang, another former senator, to be its spokesman.

Sak said the panel would start by investigating eight projects in which the state is believed to have been ripped off by the previous government.

He said the committee would focus on major and urgent cases that affected the interests of the nation.

The Office of the Auditor-General had previously screened the number of projects to be investigated from 24 down to eight. The eight are all large-scale projects involving several billion baht that have attracted public attention.

Sak said the panel would set up three sub-committees to investigate the projects and that the 11 panel members would be divided into three groups to oversee their work.

He said each investigation would summon people to testify before the committee. If those summoned could not adequately explain their actions or give evidence to clear their name then the committee would forward their case to either the public prosecutor or the Supreme Court's criminal division for political officeholders.

Sak said the committee had set itself a deadline to provide clarity on each major case within three months. Also, each sub-committee will update the Office of the Auditor-General on its investigation each month.

Kaewsan, the AEC's new secretary, said the panel is willing to accept petitions that include evidence. He said the committee is determined to clarify issues that have been questioned by the press and the public, including allegations of chronic corruption by the former government.

He added that the panel is ready to take on any of the 30 cases being investigated by the Office of the Auditor-General.

Budsarakham Sinlapalavan,

Nerisa Nerykhiew

The Nation

-------------------------------

Priority targets

Eight Thaksin-administration projects under scrutiny:

1. Purchase of CTX explosives detectors

2. Suvarnabhumi Airport-Makkasan mass transit project

3. Electricity for Suvarnabhumi Airport

4. Export food-quality testing equipment

5. BMA fire-fighting equipment purchases

6. Panthongtae and Pinthongta Shinawatra's tax liability from Shin Corp sale

7. Bt4 billion in Export-Import Bank loans to Burma

8. Newin Chidchob and rubber plantation scandal