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Published on February 15, 2008

Three senior Finance Ministry officials yesterday escaped charges of negligence in their dealings with an alleged tax evasion case that involved relatives of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Finance Ministry permanent secretary Suparat Kawatkul, former revenue department director-general Sirote Sawasdipanich and his former deputy Rawita Pongnuchit will not be charged with any offences in the alleged tax evasion case regarding the purchase of Shi-nawatra Computer and Telecom-munications shares, officials said yesterday.

The Assets Examination Committee panel that is investigating the case ruled they would dismiss the three who are among a group of eight current and former officials who are being probed.

Earlier the committee planned to charge them for failing to tax the share purchase on November 7, 1997, when Bhanapot received 4.5 million shares of Shinawatra Computer and Communication worth Bt738 million from a maid Duangta Wongpakdi, as a wedding gift from Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra, allegedly as part of a conspiracy to avoid taxation.

The panel made the ruling on grounds that the three did not have any knowledge nor took part in answering a Shinawatra family letter to provide opinions about tax payment, a source in the AEC said.

"The three officials were not involved in the offence. They only addressed the matter at a press conference," the source said.

"Suparat and Sirote did not say the transaction was subject to taxation. But officials who answered the letter, especially Bencha Luicha-roen, who carried out the duty on behalf of the director-general at that time, must take responsibility,'' he said.

The Finance Ministry had fired Sirote who was charged with dereliction of duty and negligence.

Five others under investigation are Bencha; Chamras Yaemsoi-thong, director of the Tax Appeal Office; Moreerat Boonyasiri, then director of the Legal Division; Krit Wipulanusat, senior legal official; and Pranee Wetpruekpitak, who sought comment from the Revenue Department.

Banjerd Singkaneti, chairman of the AEC panel that was investigating the rubber sapling cases said the panel would submit the case to the Office of Attorney General by next Monday.

He expressed confidence that the AEC had a solid case in seeking an indictment of the Thaksin Cabinet over the two-and three-digit lottery matter, even though it had run into a legal snag.

It would seek other legal venues to file the case in court.

The Nation