Bt5 bn more frozen, and Bt15 bn to go
The Assets Examination Committee (AEC) suspend-ed six more bank accounts yesterday - with almost Bt5 billion in them - the bulk
of it transferred from a Pinthongtha Shinawatra account that held proceeds from the Shin Corp share sale.
AEC spokesman Sak Kor-saengruang said the corruption watchdog agreed to freeze six more accounts. Three of them were linked to SC Asset, which the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has accused deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman of using to conceal assets.
On Monday, the AEC suspended seven accounts to which more than Bt8 billion was transferred after the
Shin Corp share sale. A further 21 accounts with Shin sale money were frozen last week.
Sak said the AEC was keeping a watch on the movement of money in bank accounts held by Panthongtae and Bhanapot Damapong.
He said the AEC would
also suspend assets held by former ministers in the Thaksin Cabinet if there was evidence that incriminated them of graft.
Yesterday, six accounts and two cheques were "frozen".
All up they were worth Bt4.9 billion.
They include a Thanachart Bank account with Bt13 million; three Bangkok Bank accounts holding Bt2 billion, Bt200 million and Bt430 million, respectively; an Ayudhya Bank account with Bt1.3
billion, a Thanachart Bank cheque for Bt986 million,
and a Siam Commercial Bank cheque for Bt27 million.
One of the accounts be-longs to the Thaicom Founda-tion.
Sak defended accusations from Thaksin's lawyer Nop-padol Pattama that the AEC had frozen Thaksin's assets "without justice and sympathy".
Sak said the freezing of the assets was done under the grounds that Thaksin was unusually rich.
He said Thaksin still had over Bt7 billion in dividends from six companies under Shin Corp and Ample Rich from 2003-2005. He also received a lot of money from selling companies.
"Doesn't he have enough to use with this money? The AEC has not frozen real estate, bonds or debt instruments - but only accounts involved with the Shin Corp sale,'' he said.
The DSI has issued a summons for Thaksin and Pojaman to hear the charges against them - or face the prospect of having arrest warrants issued.
Last week, the AEC froze Bt52.88 billion believed to be proceeds from the sale of his telecommunications company Shin Corp to Temasek Holdings, a Singapore government investment company in January 2006.
Of the total Bt73 billion Shin Corp share sale, the AEC has yet to freeze Bt15 billion.
The AEC expects to freeze more accounts soon, including an account with Bt4.3 billion in Panthongtae's name, an account with Bt9.7 billion in Bhanapot Damapong's name, and Bt848.7 million in an account held by Yingluck Shinawatra.
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