Committee member Banjerd Singkaneti said yesterday a sub-committee investigating the case had found the names of the people who drafted the terms of reference (TOR) for the bidding to purchase the saplings for the Agriculture Ministry's project.

The sub-committee will ask the TOR writers to clarify their qualification of companies bidding for the project as they were deemed too broad and open to any company in the rubber business, while specifications could have favoured certain concerns.

The qualification would indicate whether the companies competing for the project were suitable and the bidding was transparent. The investigation will focus on who was involved in both the bidding and procurement, he said.

Deputy permanent-secretary of Agriculture Chakan Saengraksawong said yesterday he had been briefed on the general information about the project and had sent the details and the contract to the AEC.

The AEC has asked to borrow five investigators from the Election Commission to help investigate the case, Banjerd said.

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) found the Agriculture Ministry's tender for Bt1.43 billion worth of rubber seedlings was designed to benefit big companies, although the project was supposed to help small farmers.

Meanwhile, Udom Fuangfoong, who heads the AEC committee investigating the land purchase of Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra, wife of the ousted prime minister Thaksin, said the committee would summon important witnesses to give information and the investigation could be concluded by mid-December. Auditor-General Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka who heads the AEC committee investigating irregularities related to Suvarnabhumi Airport's power network, said the investigation could be concluded tomorrow as there was only one witness left to question.

Initial investigations by the OAG found the tender terms for the power-grid supply system and conduit network were pre-determined to favour some bidders.

The OAG said it violated the procurement law and the case had been forwarded to the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC), which took no action.

Budsarakham Sinlapalavan

The Nation

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Former PMs to face questioning

The Assets Examination Committee (AEC) wants to question three former prime ministers to compare their political etiquette with deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra over the use of insider information, a source said yesterday.

The AEC wants to probe the plot of land on Ratchadapisek Road that Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra bought because its history can be traced back 10 years to three former premiers - Banharn Silapa-archa, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Chuan Leekpai.

This plot of land was bought by the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF) and later became the land bank of Thai Asset Manage-ment Corp during the Banharn government.

It was put up for auction during the respective Chavalit and Chuan governments and then sold to Pojaman during the Thaksin administration.

The AEC wants to ask the three former premiers if they had ever provided information to their families regarding the property.

They would also be questioned about their government's polices over the lottery and if they had ever used income from the Government Lottery Office for political campaigns.

Banharn said he was not available to give a statement to the AEC on Thursday but was willing to meet them on any day he was free.

"I have no knowledge on the land deal and I have never bought a lottery,'' he said.