The Office of the Attorney-General says it will act strictly according to law if it finds enough evidence to proceed in a perjury case against Pheu Thai party list candidate Yingluck Shinawatra.
Deputy Attorney-General Waiyawut Lortrakul said yesterday it was not the duty of the public prosecution to handle the case immediately.
He was speaking after Kaewsun Atibhodhi, a former member of the disbanded Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC), and Tul Sitthisomwong, leader of the anti-red shirt Network of Citizen Volunteers Protecting the Land, prepare to ask all relevant agencies to follow up on the cases related to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's 46 billion baht assets seizure case.
The perjury case against Ms Yingluck is related to the assets seizure case, in which Ms Yingluck, Thaksin's youngest sister, testified as a defence witness.
The assets seizure case is among many cases brought against Thaksin by the defunct ASC. All of them have been transferred to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
Mr Waiyawut said the NACC should take up the perjury case first.
He said any cases related to the assets seizure case should be sent to and handled by investigators.
The Network of Citizen Volunteers Protecting the Land met the Department of Special Investigation's chief Tharit Pengdit last Friday to ask the DSI to check into the allegations against Ms Yingluck. The group will lodge a complaint against Ms Yingluck on June 21.
"If the case is eventually referred to the OAG for indictment, we are ready to do our duty," Mr Waiyawut said.
Mr Kaewsun and Mr Tul yesterday filed a petition with a Senate committee on monitoring corruption and promotion of good governance, asking the committee to follow up the four cases related to an order by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions to seize 46-billion-baht from former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Sumol Sutwiriyawat, deputy chairman of the Senate committee, received the petition.
In the petition, the Senate committee has been asked to follow up on the work of the NACC, the OAG, and the Securities and Exchange Commission involving four cases related to the Supreme Court's order to seize Thaksin's assets.
In the Thaksin assets seizure case, the Supreme Court ruled that Thaksin and his ex-wife Potjaman na Pombejra concealed their Shin Corp shares and controlled the shares through proxies - their adult children and other relatives including Yingluck Shinawatra, the No.1 Pheu Thai party list candidate, who held 20 million baht in shares on Thaksin's behalf.
Of the four related cases, the first was on Thaksin's false statement given to the NACC; the second on false statements given by Thaksin's ex-wife, children and relatives to the SEC; the third on Shin Corp's false transaction reports to the SEC; and the fourth on Thaksin's alleged abuse of power to enrich Shin Corp.
Mr Kaewsun said he wanted the Senate committee to ask the NACC, SEC and OAG how much progress had been made in the four cases.
Meanwhile, Ms Yingluck said yesterday that she was ready to testify to clear up the allegation of perjury related to the court's seizure of 46.37 billion baht of her brother Thaksin's assets.
She said she was prepared to come under public scrutiny over the matter.
"I am ready to clear the accusation under the rule of law. I will exercise patience and will provide all facts to the general public," she said after making merit at Wat Phra That Phanom in Nakhon Phanom yesterday morning.
She is campaigning today in the northeastern province.
Ms Yingluck was responding to the announcement by Mr Kaewsan that he would launch a signature campaign at Thammasat University on June 18 to ask people to file complaints against her over charges of perjury related to the case.
Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said the move by Mr Kaewsun to launch a signature campaign on Facebook and at Thammasat University on June 18 to ask people to file complaints against Ms Yingluck over charges of perjury is intended to dissuade voters from voting for Pheu Thai in the July 3 general election.
Mr Prompong said Mr Kaewsun's action could violate the election law, prompting Pheu Thai to file a complaint against him with the Crime Suppression Division and to ask the Election Commission to look into the matter today.
Deputy Prime Minister and Democrat Party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday criticised supporters of the red shirt movement for trying to disrupt vote campaigns by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
On Monday, red shirt supporters heckled Mr Abhisit during his campaigning by raising the issue of the 92 people, most of them red shirts, who were killed in the clashes between red shirts and the military in April and May last year.
Mr Suthep said well-organised efforts had been made to distort the information.
Source: Bangkok Post
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