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BANGKOK : Thailand's anti-graft panel said Wednesday it has frozen six more bank accounts linked to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra's family but is still trying trace funds worth millions of dollars.
The Assets Examination Committee (AEC), which the military set up after taking power in a coup last year, on June 11 ordered a freeze on some 52.9 billion baht (1.52 billion dollars) of funds belonging to Thaksin and his family.
Since then, the panel has frozen 28 of the family's accounts as part of other ongoing corruption investigations.
The AEC said on Wednesday it had extended the order to six more bank accounts and two bank cheques, but added the total amount of money affected remained the same.
"The committee decided to issue orders freezing accounts because of corruption," said Sak Korsaengruang, a panel spokesman.
But Jaruwan Mentaka, a panel member, said the frozen bank accounts and two cheques, worth 4.95 billion baht, were fresh money and belonged to the "missing" 20 billion baht (580 million dollars) in Thaksin's funds.
"The 4.95 billion baht freeze is part of 20 billion baht missing from accounts," she told a local television station.
Local media has speculated the 20-billion-baht may have been removed from the kingdom, but Thaksin's lawyer Noppadon Pattama insisted it remained in business ventures here.
Most of the frozen funds were profits from his family's controversial tax-free sale of Shin Corp, the telecom giant founded by the former premier. The 2006 deal prompted months of street protests last year.
Singapore's Temasek Holdings paid 73.2 billion baht (2.2 billion dollars) for shares held by Thaksin's family, but the AEC have only been able to trace 52.9 billion baht.
The military ousted Thaksin in a bloodless coup in September, vowing to weed out alleged corruption under his government. Thaksin is currently in London, where he owns a house in the exclusive Kensington neighbourhood.
The AEC is examining a slate of charges against Thaksin, including claims that he used his political office to enrich his business empire.
- AFP /ls
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